Interplay® | Engine and

Interplay | Archive Engine

Administration Guide
Version 3.8
Legal Notices
Product specifications are subject to change without notice and do not represent a commitment on the part of Avid Technology, Inc.

This product is subject to the terms and conditions of a software license agreement provided with the software. The product may only be
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Product specifications are subject to change without notice.

Copyright © 2017 Avid Technology, Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved.

The following disclaimer is required by Apple Computer, Inc.:

APPLE COMPUTER, INC. MAKES NO WARRANTIES WHATSOEVER, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, REGARDING THIS
PRODUCT, INCLUDING WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO ITS MERCHANTABILITY OR ITS FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR
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The following disclaimer is required by Sam Leffler and Silicon Graphics, Inc. for the use of their TIFF library:
Copyright © 1988–1997 Sam Leffler
Copyright © 1991–1997 Silicon Graphics, Inc.

Permission to use, copy, modify, distribute, and sell this software [i.e., the TIFF library] and its documentation for any purpose is hereby
granted without fee, provided that (i) the above copyright notices and this permission notice appear in all copies of the software and
related documentation, and (ii) the names of Sam Leffler and Silicon Graphics may not be used in any advertising or publicity relating to
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THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED “AS-IS” AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR OTHERWISE,
INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

IN NO EVENT SHALL SAM LEFFLER OR SILICON GRAPHICS BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT OR
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PROFITS, WHETHER OR NOT ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF DAMAGE, AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, ARISING OUT
OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.

The following disclaimer is required by the Independent JPEG Group:

This software is based in part on the work of the Independent JPEG Group.

This Software may contain components licensed under the following conditions:
Copyright (c) 1989 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.

Redistribution and use in source and binary forms are permitted provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph are
duplicated in all such forms and that any documentation, advertising materials, and other materials related to such distribution and use
acknowledge that the software was developed by the University of California, Berkeley. The name of the University may not be used to
endorse or promote products derived from this software without specific prior written permission. THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED ``AS
IS'' AND WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES
OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

Copyright (C) 1989, 1991 by Jef Poskanzer.

Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software and its documentation for any purpose and without fee is hereby granted,
provided that the above copyright notice appear in all copies and that both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in
supporting documentation. This software is provided " as is" without express or implied warranty.

Copyright 1995, Trinity College Computing Center. Written by David Chappell.

Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software and its documentation for any purpose and without fee is hereby granted,
provided that the above copyright notice appear in all copies and that both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in
supporting documentation. This software is provided " as is" without express or implied warranty.

Copyright 1996 Daniel Dardailler.

Permission to use, copy, modify, distribute, and sell this software for any purpose is hereby granted without fee, provided that the above
copyright notice appear in all copies and that both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in supporting documentation,
and that the name of Daniel Dardailler not be used in advertising or publicity pertaining to distribution of the software without specific,
written prior permission. Daniel Dardailler makes no representations about the suitability of this software for any purpose. It is provided " as
is" without express or implied warranty.

Modifications Copyright 1999 Matt Koss, under the same license as above.

Copyright (c) 1991 by AT&T.

Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software for any purpose without fee is hereby granted, provided that this entire notice
is included in all copies of any software which is or includes a copy or modification of this software and in all copies of the supporting
documentation for such software.

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THIS SOFTWARE IS BEING PROVIDED " AS IS" , WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY. IN PARTICULAR, NEITHER
THE AUTHOR NOR AT&T MAKES ANY REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY OF ANY KIND CONCERNING THE MERCHANTABILITY
OF THIS SOFTWARE OR ITS FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

This product includes software developed by the University of California, Berkeley and its contributors.

The following disclaimer is required by Paradigm Matrix:

Portions of this software licensed from Paradigm Matrix.

The following disclaimer is required by Ray Sauers Associates, Inc.:

“Install-It” is licensed from Ray Sauers Associates, Inc. End-User is prohibited from taking any action to derive a source code equivalent of
“Install-It,” including by reverse assembly or reverse compilation, Ray Sauers Associates, Inc. shall in no event be liable for any damages
resulting from reseller’s failure to perform reseller’s obligation; or any damages arising from use or operation of reseller’s products or the
software; or any other damages, including but not limited to, incidental, direct, indirect, special or consequential Damages including lost
profits, or damages resulting from loss of use or inability to use reseller’s products or the software for any reason including copyright or
patent infringement, or lost data, even if Ray Sauers Associates has been advised, knew or should have known of the possibility of such
damages.

The following disclaimer is required by Videomedia, Inc.:

“Videomedia, Inc. makes no warranties whatsoever, either express or implied, regarding this product, including warranties with respect to
its merchantability or its fitness for any particular purpose.”

“This software contains V-LAN ver. 3.0 Command Protocols which communicate with V-LAN ver. 3.0 products developed by Videomedia,
Inc. and V-LAN ver. 3.0 compatible products developed by third parties under license from Videomedia, Inc. Use of this software will allow
“frame accurate” editing control of applicable videotape recorder decks, videodisc recorders/players and the like.”

The following disclaimer is required by Altura Software, Inc. for the use of its Mac2Win software and Sample Source
Code:
©1993–1998 Altura Software, Inc.

The following disclaimer is required by Interplay Entertainment Corp.:

The “Interplay” name is used with the permission of Interplay Entertainment Corp., which bears no responsibility for Avid products.

This product includes portions of the Alloy Look & Feel software from Incors GmbH.

This product includes software developed by the Apache Software Foundation (http://www.apache.org/).

© DevelopMentor

This product may include the JCifs library, for which the following notice applies:
JCifs © Copyright 2004, The JCIFS Project, is licensed under LGPL (http://jcifs.samba.org/). See the LGPL.txt file in the Third Party
Software directory on the installation CD.

Avid Interplay contains components licensed from LavanTech. These components may only be used as part of and in connection with Avid
Interplay.

Attn. Government User(s). Restricted Rights Legend

U.S. GOVERNMENT RESTRICTED RIGHTS. This Software and its documentation are “commercial computer software” or “commercial
computer software documentation.” In the event that such Software or documentation is acquired by or on behalf of a unit or agency of the
U.S. Government, all rights with respect to this Software and documentation are subject to the terms of the License Agreement, pursuant
to FAR §12.212(a) and/or DFARS §227.7202-1(a), as applicable.

Trademarks
Avid, the Avid Logo, Avid Everywhere, Avid DNXHD, Avid DNXHR, Avid Nexis, AirSpeed, Eleven, EUCON, Interplay, iNEWS, ISIS, Mbox,
MediaCentral, Media Composer, NewsCutter, Pro Tools, ProSet and RealSet, Maestro, PlayMaker, Sibelius, Symphony, and all related
product names and logos, are registered or unregistered trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.
The Interplay name is used with the permission of the Interplay Entertainment Corp. which bears no responsibility for Avid products. All
other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. For a full list of Avid trademarks, see: http://www.avid.com/US/about-avid/
legal-notices/trademarks.

Footage
Eco Challenge Morocco — Courtesy of Discovery Communications, Inc.
News material provided by WFTV Television Inc.
Ice Island — Courtesy of Kurtis Productions, Ltd.

Interplay Engine and Interplay Archive Engine Administration Guide • Created June 26, 2017 • This document is
distributed by Avid in online (electronic) form only, and is not available for purchase in printed form.

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 Contents

Using This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Symbols and Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
If You Need Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Viewing Help and Documentation on the Interplay Production Portal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Interplay Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Avid Training Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Chapter 1 Getting Started with the Interplay | Administrator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Understanding the Interplay Engine and Interplay Workgroups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Using the Interplay Administrator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Starting the Interplay Administrator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Using the Interplay | Administrator Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Opening an Interplay | Administrator View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Opening Interplay | Production Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Exiting the Interplay Administrator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Chapter 2 Database Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Creating an Interplay Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Interplay Databases, Folders, and Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Creating and Restoring Database Backups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Types of Interplay Administrator Backups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Recommendations for Backup Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Setting the Number of Database Backups to Keep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Scheduling Automatic Database Backups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Starting a Backup Manually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Using an Archiving Tool for Backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Restoring an Earlier Version of a Database. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Performing a Partial Restore of an Interplay Production Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Creating a Metadata-Only Backup for Customer Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Performing a Consistency Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Viewing Database Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Database Information Tabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Locking and Unlocking Databases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
 Managing Databases: Deactivating, Activating, and Migrating. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Deactivating a Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Activating a Deactivated Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Migrating a Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Moving a Database to Another Server (Non-Clustered Systems) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Moving a Database and Users to Another Server (Non-Clustered Systems) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Moving a Database to Another Server (Clustered Systems) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Moving a Database and Users to Another Server (Clustered Systems). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Moving a Database Under Low Disk Space Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Renaming a Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Running Database Maintenance Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Identifying the Root Folder of the Interplay Server Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Chapter 3 Server Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Changing the Database and Data Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Enabling Update Tracking for Media | Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Viewing Server Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Locking and Unlocking the Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Restarting the Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Managing Licenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Installing Permanent Licenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Displaying the Licenses View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
License Types and Usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Exporting a License . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Troubleshooting Licensing Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Using the License Key Info Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Configuring Third-Party Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Chapter 4 User Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Understanding the Central Configuration Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Moving the CCS to Another Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Viewing and Changing the CCS for a Server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Adding Users to a Central Configuration Server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Setting User Authentication Providers and Importing Users. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Setting MediaCentral Platform Authentication and Importing Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Setting Avid ISIS Authentication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Setting Windows Domain Authentication and Importing Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Setting LDAP Authentication and Importing Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Automatically Importing Individual Users through Windows Domain and LDAP Authentica-
tion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Managing Users, User Groups, and User Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Understanding Default User Groups, Users, and Roles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

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 Adding User Groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Adding Users Manually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Viewing and Setting Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Understanding Standard Roles and Default Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Viewing and Changing Roles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Viewing and Setting Authentication Providers for Individual Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Deleting Users and User Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Removing Users from User Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Managing Database Roles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Viewing General Role Assignments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Setting or Changing a General Role Assignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Blocking Access by a Group or User . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Managing Special Access Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Guidelines for User Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Chapter 5 Site Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Defining Property Layouts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Setting the Resolutions Available for Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Unsupported Operating Points in the Interplay Production Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Creating Custom Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Adding a Custom Property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Setting Access Control for Custom Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Working with Lists for Custom Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Managing Custom Properties for Improved Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Configuring Remote Workgroups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Configuring Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Adding Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Removing Categories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Setting Server Hostnames and the Workgroup Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Interplay Production Services View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Interplay Transfer Status View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Interplay Transfer Settings View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Workgroup Transfer Presets View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Specifying Remote Servers for Asset Tracking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Specifying Archive and Restore Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Archiving Duplicate Versions of Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Adding AAF Metadata to an Archive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Specifying the Archive Server, Segment Size, and Restore Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Enabling Optimized Partial Restore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Setting the Ownership for New Database Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Enabling Interplay Synced Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

6
 Setting Options for Deletion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Understanding the Deletion Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Scheduling the Deletion of Database Assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Setting Options for Deleting Only OMF Media, Only MXF Media, or Both. . . . . . . . . . . 163
Setting Options for Deleting Locked Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Activating the Option to Delete Referenced Assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Using the Delete Kept Media Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Viewing and Setting the Metadata Override Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Production Engine Bus Connector (PEBCo). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
MediaCentral Platform Services Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Chapter 6 Application Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Application Database Settings View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Setting Options in the Editing Settings Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Setting Audio Mixing Defaults for Access, Assist, and MediaCentral | UX . . . . . . . . . . 180
Sending a Source to Playback in Interplay Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Setting the Shotlist Start Timecode for Interplay Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Setting an Automatic Timeout for Interplay Assist and Avid Instinct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Configuring the Frame Locators Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Configuring the Restrictions Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Media Composer | Cloud Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Setting Instinct/Assist User Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Instinct/Assist User Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Pro Tools Plug-Ins Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Chapter 7 Interplay Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Chapter 8 Troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Troubleshooting Login Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Troubleshooting Client Connection Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Optimizing Interplay Performance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Troubleshooting Firewalls and Interplay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Troubleshooting the Server Execution User Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Creating the Server Execution User Account. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Determining the Server Execution User Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Re-creating the Server Execution User . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Shutting Down or Locking the Server Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Chapter 9 Reuniting a Split Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Preparing to Reunite a Split Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Reuniting a Split Database (AvidWG Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Reuniting a Split Database (AvidWG and _InternalData) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Configuring the workgroup.xml File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

7
Appendix A Installed Components and Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Avid Interplay Engine Directory: Folders and Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Apache Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Data Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Preview Server Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Server Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Required TCP/IP Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Avid Interplay Engine Servers and Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Avid Interplay Engine Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Avid Workgroup HTTP Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Avid Workgroup Server Browser Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Avid Workgroup Preview Server Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Avid Workgroup TCP/COM Bridge Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Avid Workgroup VSS Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Avid Workgroup Engine Monitor Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Appendix B Interplay Engine Configuration Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Configuring the Server Event Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Config.xml File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Supported Actions in Config.xml . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Supported Events in Config.xml. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Server Event Configuration Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
LogWatch.xml . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Sending E-mail Notifications from LogWatch.xml . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Configuring Client Access. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Setting the Filetransfer Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Appendix C Valid and Invalid Characters in Interplay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Appendix D System Metadata Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Appendix E Server Error Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Appendix F Consistency Check Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Consistency Check Critical Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Consistency Check Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Consistency Check Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267

8
 Symbols and Conventions

Using This Guide

Congratulations on your purchase of Interplay® | Production, a powerful system for managing media
in a shared storage environment. This guide describes how to use Interplay | Administrator, an
Interplay client application that provides tools to configure the Interplay | Engine and to manage the
database on the server.

This guide is intended for all Interplay administrators who are responsible for installing, configuring
and maintaining an Interplay Engine or Interplay Archive Engine (database, server, and all related
client connections and user rights) in an Interplay workgroup. This guide includes a detailed
description of each of the Interplay Administrator task groups and how you can use them to
administer your server and databases. Some of the settings that you are able to change affect the
server itself, while others only affect the database stored on the server.

The Interplay Administrator is supported on both the Microsoft® Windows® and the Mac OS® X
platforms. When necessary, the guide describes platform-specific differences.

n The documentation describes the features and hardware of all models. Therefore, your system might
not contain certain features and hardware that are covered in the documentation.

n Limited number of client applications per user per machine: A user can run only one Interplay
Access session and one Interplay Administrator session on one machine. This software does not
support terminal/server sessions.

Symbols and Conventions

Avid documentation uses the following symbols and conventions:

Symbol or Convention Meaning or Action

n
A note provides important related information, reminders,
recommendations, and strong suggestions.

c
A caution means that a specific action you take could cause harm to
your computer or cause you to lose data.

A warning describes an action that could cause you physical harm.

w Follow the guidelines in this document or on the unit itself when
handling electrical equipment.

> This symbol indicates menu commands (and subcommands) in the

order you select them. For example, File > Import means to open the
File menu and then select the Import command.

This symbol indicates a single-step procedure. Multiple arrows in a list

indicate that you perform one of the actions listed.

(Windows), (Windows This text indicates that the information applies only to the specified
only), (Macintosh), or operating system, either Windows or Macintosh OS X.
(Macintosh only)

9
 If You Need Help

Symbol or Convention Meaning or Action

Bold font Bold font is primarily used in task instructions to identify user interface
items and keyboard sequences.

Italic font Italic font is used to emphasize certain words and to indicate variables.

Courier Bold font Courier Bold font identifies text that you type.

Ctrl+key or mouse action Press and hold the first key while you press the last key or perform the
mouse action. For example, Command+Option+C or Ctrl+drag.

| (pipe character) The pipe character is used in some Avid product names, such as
Interplay | Production. In this document, the pipe is used in product
names when they are in headings or at their first use in text.

If You Need Help

If you are having trouble using your Avid product:
1. Retry the action, carefully following the instructions given for that task in this guide. It is
especially important to check each step of your workflow.
2. Check the latest information that might have become available after the documentation was
published. You should always check online for the most up-to-date release notes or ReadMe
because the online version is updated whenever new information becomes available. To view
these online versions, select ReadMe from the Help menu, or visit the Knowledge Base at
www.avid.com/support.
3. Check the documentation that came with your Avid application or your hardware for
maintenance or hardware-related issues.
4. Visit the online Knowledge Base at www.avid.com/support. Online services are available 24
hours per day, 7 days per week. Search this online Knowledge Base to find answers, to view
error messages, to access troubleshooting tips, to download updates, and to read or join online
message-board discussions.

Viewing Help and Documentation on the

Interplay Production Portal
You can quickly access the Interplay Production Help, links to the PDF versions of the
Interplay Production guides, and other useful links by viewing the Interplay Production User
Information Center on the Interplay Production Portal. The Interplay Production Portal is a Web site
that runs on the Interplay Production Engine.

You can access the Interplay Production User Information Center through a browser from any system
in the Interplay Production environment. You can also access it through the Help menu in
Interplay | Access and the Interplay | Administrator.

The Interplay Production Help combines information from all Interplay Production guides in one
Help system. It includes a combined index and a full-featured search. From the Interplay Production
Portal, you can run the Help in a browser or download a compiled (.chm) version for use on other
systems, such as a laptop.

10
 Interplay Documentation

To open the Interplay Production User Information Center through a browser:

1. Type the following line in a Web browser:
http://Interplay_Production_Engine_name
For Interplay_Production_Engine_name substitute the name of the computer running the
Interplay Production Engine software. For example, the following line opens the portal Web
page on a system named docwg:
http://docwg
2. Click the “Interplay Production User Information Center” link to access the Interplay Production
User Information Center Web page.

To open the Interplay Production User Information Center from Interplay Access or the
Interplay Administrator:
t Select Help > Documentation Website on Server.

Interplay Documentation
The following documents describe how to use Interplay Production:
• Interplay | Production Best Practices — provides an overview of the major Interplay
components, shows sample configuration diagrams, and describes several of the key features,
such as setting up a user database and using the Interplay Archive Engine.
• Interplay | Production Software Installation and Configuration Guide — describes how to use
the Interplay Production installation programs to install and configure software on the various
systems that make up a Interplay environment.
• Interplay | Engine Failover Guide — describes how to set up a cluster configuration for the
Interplay Engine and the Interplay Archive engine. There are three versions of this guide: one for
SR2500 systems, one for AS3000 systems, and one for Windows Server 2012 systems.
• Interplay | Engine and Interplay | Archive Engine Administration Guide — describes how to
administer your Interplay Engine or Interplay Archive Engine and Avid Interplay database.
• Interplay | Access User’s Guide — describes how to use Interplay Access to browse, search, and
work with assets in the Avid Interplay database.
• Interplay | Assist User’s Guide — describes how to use Interplay Assist for logging, archiving,
and sending to playback material in an Interplay environment.
• Interplay | Production Services Setup and User’s Guide — Interplay Production Services lets
you control and automate Transcode, Archive, and other Interplay Production Services.
• Interplay | Transfer Setup and User’s Guide — describes how to use Interplay Transfer to
transfer media to and from another workgroup, send finished sequences to a configured playback
device, ingest media from a configured ingest device, and perform standalone transfers between
workstations.
• Avid Service Framework User’s Guide — describes how to use the logging, monitoring, and
management features of the Avid Service Framework applications.
• Interplay | Capture User’s Guide — describes how to use Interplay Capture, a newsroom ingest
tool that enables automated recordings.
• Interplay | Capture Administrator’s Guide — describes administrative concepts, tasks, and
reference material for Avid Interplay Capture.

11
 Avid Training Services

All documents are available in PDF form on the Avid Knowledge Base at http://avid.force.com/pkb/
articles/en_US/readme/Avid-Interplay-Production-Documentation.

Avid Training Services

Avid makes lifelong learning, career advancement, and personal development easy and convenient.
Avid understands that the knowledge you need to differentiate yourself is always changing, and Avid
continually updates course content and offers new training delivery methods that accommodate your
pressured and competitive work environment.

For information on courses/schedules, training centers, certifications, courseware, and books, please
visit www.avid.com/support and follow the Training links, or call Avid Sales at 800-949-AVID
(800-949-2843).

12
1 Getting Started with the
Interplay | Administrator

The Interplay Administrator provides database administrators and maintenance engineers with the
tools required to configure the Interplay Engine and to manage the database on the server.

The following topics provide basic information for using the Interplay Administrator:
• Understanding the Interplay Engine and Interplay Workgroups
• Using the Interplay Administrator
• Starting the Interplay Administrator
• Using the Interplay | Administrator Window
• Opening an Interplay | Administrator View
• Opening Interplay | Production Help
• Exiting the Interplay Administrator

For an overview of all Interplay components, see the Interplay Best Practices Guide.

Understanding the Interplay Engine and Interplay

Workgroups
The Interplay Engine forms the backbone of the Interplay environment. The Interplay Engine is a
server that combines an asset database with workflow management software, both of which are
integrated with Avid shared storage and Avid archive solutions. This topic provides basic information
about the functions and components of the Interplay Engine.

One Interplay Engine, One Interplay Database, One Shared Storage Network

The Interplay Engine is one component of an Interplay workgroup. At a minimum, an Interplay

workgroup is composed of one Interplay Engine, one Interplay database, one Avid ISIS shared-
storage network, and associated software and services.

An Interplay database consists of two parts:

• A metadata database, which holds information about the assets, or metadata.
• Source files for the assets, for example, graphics files and Avid media files. The source files for
file assets can be stored on the Interplay Engine or on an Avid shared-storage system. The source
files for Avid assets are always stored on shared storage.

The following illustration shows the metadata database and the source files for file assets stored on
the internal drive of the Interplay Engine server and the source files for Avid assets stored on an Avid
shared storage workspace.
 Understanding the Interplay Engine and Interplay Workgroups

File Assets

Media for
Metadata Avid Assets
Database

Avid Interplay Engine

Avid
Shared Storage

For information about all Interplay components and detailed sample configurations, see Interplay
Best Practices.

Avid Assets, File Assets, and Splitting the Database

Interplay manages two different kids of assets. Avid assets are assets that are created by Avid
applications through capture, ingest, import, or transfer. Avid assets include:
• Master clips
• Subclips
• Sequences
• Effects
• Motion effects
• Rendered effects
• Group clips

File assets are any assets that are not created by an Avid application. Any file you can create on your
workstation, through applications such as Adobe Photoshop or Microsoft Word, can be added to the
Interplay database and managed by Interplay as a file asset.

Media files for Avid assets are always stored on an Avid shared-storage system. Source files for file
assets can be stored on the Interplay Engine or on an Avid shared-storage workspace. The location
that holds file assets is called the file repository.

c Previous versions of this guide described how to set up a split database. A split database refers
to a configuration in which only the metadata database is stored on the Interplay Engine. All
other database files and folders are stored on an Avid shared-storage workspace. This
configuration is no longer recommended. See “Reuniting a Split Database” on page 200.

Multiple Workgroups

A large production facility can have more than one Interplay workgroup. Each workgroup must have
its own Interplay Engine, database, and shared storage network. Users on Interplay Access can view
and access assets from more than one workgroup and can transfer them from one to another using a
file copy procedure for file assets and Interplay Transfer for Avid assets. You can also use the
Interplay Delivery service to transfer Avid assets.

14
 Understanding the Interplay Engine and Interplay Workgroups

Interplay Archive Engine

A facility might also include an Interplay Archive Engine. An Interplay Archive Engine is configured
similarly to an Interplay Engine. An Archive Engine is integrated with a third-party archive system.
An Interplay Archive database is always named AvidAM. An Interplay database is always named
AvidWG.

An Interplay Archive database and an Interplay database use different icons, as shown in the
following illustration from Interplay Access. The archive database is represented by a safe, and
archive folders are represented by boxes.

Interplay online
database

Interplay
Archive Engine
database

For more information about the Interplay Archive Engine, see Interplay Best Practices.

n In this guide, references to the Interplay Engine also refer to the Archive Engine, unless otherwise
noted.

15
 Using the Interplay Administrator

Central Configuration Server

If a production facility includes more than one Interplay workgroup, you can specify one Interplay
Engine as the Central Configuration Server (CCS). The CCS is an Interplay Engine module that
stores information that is common to all other Interplay Engines. The CCS provides a means to
manage user accounts across multiple workgroups. For more information, see “Understanding the
Central Configuration Server” on page 87.

Server Execution User

The Server Execution User is a Windows operating system user that runs the Interplay Engine
processes. You specify the user name and password for the Server Execution User when you install
the Interplay Engine on the server. The Server Execution User needs local administrator rights on the
operating system for the Interplay Engine server and read/write access to the Avid shared-storage file
system.

For more information, see “Troubleshooting the Server Execution User Account” on page 196.

Interplay as a Client-Server Application

Interplay is designed as a client-server application. The Interplay Engine is configured to run on a

central machine that is accessible to all users through a network. An Interplay application that runs
on a client machine is a client of the Interplay Engine server. Interplay client applications, such as
Interplay Access, Interplay Assist, Avid Instinct®, and Avid editing applications that use the
Interplay Window can access and browse multiple databases. The Interplay Administrator is also a
client application.

Interplay uses TCP/IP and related protocols for its network communication. Therefore, TCP/IP must
be installed on all machines. Since TCP/IP is used to access the Internet, most users already have this
component installed. See “Required TCP/IP Ports” on page 217 for more information.

Using the Interplay Administrator

The Interplay Administrator is a client application that you use to manage either the Interplay Engine
or the Interplay Archive Engine. The Interplay Administrator is installed at the same time that you
install Interplay Access. You can install the Interplay Administrator as a client on any computer in
your network and then use it to manage any Interplay Engine or Interplay Archive Engine that is
available on the network. For information on installing Interplay Access and the Interplay
Administrator, see the Interplay Software Installation and Configuration Guide.

The Interplay Administrator provides you with the tools you need for the following major tasks:
• Setting up a new database. See “Creating an Interplay Database” on page 22.
• Backing up the database. Backing up the database regularly protects your data, allowing you to
restore the database to a saved state in the event of failure. See “Creating and Restoring Database
Backups” on page 25.
• Maintenance tasks, such as locking, unlocking, and restarting the server. See “Server Settings”
on page 71.
• Creating, editing, and deleting user accounts and managing user authorization. See “User
Management” on page 87.
• Configuring client applications and the workgroup. See “Site Settings” on page 124.

16
 Starting the Interplay Administrator

• Configuring the Interplay Archive Engine. See “Specifying Archive and Restore Settings” on
page 149. For more information on archiving, see Interplay Best Practices and the Interplay
Production Services Setup and User’s Guide..
• Configuring Application Settings and Interplay Services. See “Application Settings” on
page 170 and “Interplay Services” on page 193.

Starting the Interplay Administrator

To start the Interplay Administrator:
1. Do one of the following:
t Click the Start button and then select All Programs > Avid > Avid Interplay Access Utilities
> Avid Interplay Administrator.
t From Interplay Access, select Tools > Open Interplay Administrator.
The Interplay Administrator Server Login screen appears.

The first time you open the Interplay Administrator, the Server text box is empty. If you have
already logged into a server, the text box shows the last server you logged in to.
2. Select the server you want to work with by doing one of the following:
t Accept the server that is displayed.
t Type the name of the server that you want to log in to. You can also use an IP address.
t Click the arrow for the Server list and select the server name from the list.

17
 Using the Interplay | Administrator Window

The first part of the list shows recent servers, the second part of the list shows servers that
were added manually (not on a local area network), and the third part shows servers
available on your local area network.
t Click the arrow for the server list and select Add Server. Type a new server name.
3. Type a user name and password for an account with administration rights.
On the first start after installing the Interplay Engine, only the user Administrator exists. Type
“Administrator” in the dialog box. The password is empty by default. Change the password of
the Administrator as soon as possible (see “Viewing and Setting Attributes” on page 109).

n The Interplay Administrator account is different from the Server Execution User account. The
Interplay Administrator account is used to manage users and the database. The Server Execution
User account is used to run the Interplay Engine processes.

4. Click Connect.
The Interplay Administrator window opens.
If you have any problems logging in, see “Troubleshooting Login Problems” on page 194.

Using the Interplay | Administrator Window

The Interplay Administrator window is divided into six groups: Database, Server, User Management,
Site Settings, Application Settings, and Interplay Services. The name of the Interplay Engine server
you are connected to is displayed in the upper right of the window.

18
 Opening an Interplay | Administrator View

Each group contains views for managing components of the Interplay Engine. Each group is
described in a separate section of this guide:
• “Database Settings” on page 22
• “Server Settings” on page 71
• “User Management” on page 87
• “Site Settings” on page 124
• “Application Settings” on page 170
• “Interplay Services” on page 193

Opening an Interplay | Administrator View

To open an Interplay Administrator view:
t In the Interplay Administrator window, click an icon.

19
 Opening Interplay | Production Help

The view you select replaces the Interplay Administrator window. Each view includes a path that
shows the relative location of that view. The following illustration shows part of the Create
Database view. In this example, the path shows that the Create Database view is included in the
Database section of the Interplay Administrator window (In the path, the Interplay Administrator
window is represented as the Interplay Server).

To return to the Interplay Administrator window:

t Click the Menu button in the upper left of the view.

Opening Interplay | Production Help

The Interplay Production Help system is installed when you install the Interplay Engine. The
Interplay Help system provides all user and administrator information that is contained in the
Interplay manuals. The Interplay Administrator Help menu provides five entry points: one for the
Welcome screen and four that correspond to four Interplay applications:
• Interplay Administration Help
• Interplay Production Services Help
• Interplay Transfer Help
• Interplay Installation Help

You can access the entire Help system, including the Search and Index tabs, from any of those entry
points.

To access Interplay Production Help:

t Select Help, and then select the desired application.
t Select Documentation Website on Server.
The Interplay Production User Information Center page opens. You can open the Help, PDF
versions of the Interplay user guides, and other useful links. See “Viewing Help and
Documentation on the Interplay Production Portal” on page 10

20
 Exiting the Interplay Administrator

Exiting the Interplay Administrator

When you are finished using the Interplay Administrator, you should log out or close the application.
Logging out can be convenient if you want to log in to a different database.

To log out:
t Click the Log out button in the upper right of the Interplay Administrator window.
The application remains open, with the login screen displayed.

To close the Interplay Administrator, do one of the following:

t Select File > Exit.
t Click the close button in the upper right of the window.
The Interplay Administrator window closes.

21
2 Database Settings

The Database settings allow you to create, configure, and manage the Interplay database. The
following topics describe how to use these settings:
• Creating an Interplay Database
• Interplay Databases, Folders, and Files
• Creating and Restoring Database Backups
• Performing a Consistency Check
• Viewing Database Information
• Locking and Unlocking Databases
• Managing Databases: Deactivating, Activating, and Migrating
• Moving a Database to Another Server (Non-Clustered Systems)
• Moving a Database and Users to Another Server (Non-Clustered Systems)
• Moving a Database to Another Server (Clustered Systems)
• Moving a Database and Users to Another Server (Clustered Systems)
• Moving a Database Under Low Disk Space Conditions
• Renaming a Database
• Running Database Maintenance Tools

Creating an Interplay Database

The Create Database view lets you name and create a new Interplay database. You need to create an
Interplay database after you install the Interplay Engine and Interplay Access software.

c Avid supports only one database for each Interplay Engine. The database must be named
AvidWG, or for an Archive Engine database, AvidAM.

The root folder for a new database is set during the installation of the Interplay Engine software. By
default, the installation program creates one shared folder for both the metadata database and the
source files for file assets (the file repository). The default location is the D:\Workgroup_Databases
folder (or S:\Workgroup_Databases on a cluster system). This folder is represented by the
administrative share name WG_Database$. The $ indicates a hidden share.

n To identify the actual folder, open a Command Prompt window and type net share.

To create an Interplay database:

1. In the Database section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Create Database icon.
The Create Database view opens.
 Interplay Databases, Folders, and Files

2. In the New Database Information area, leave the default “AvidWG” in the Database Name text
box. For an archive database, leave the default “AvidAM.” These are the only two supported
database names.
3. Type a description for the database in the Description text box, such as “Main Production
Server.”
4. Select “Create default Avid Interplay structure.”
After the database is created, a set of default folders within the database are visible in Interplay
Access and other Interplay clients. For more information about these folders, see the Interplay
Access User’s Guide.
5. Keep the root folder for the New Database Location (Meta Data).
The metadata database must reside on the Interplay Engine server.
6. Keep the root folder for the New Data Location (Assets).
7. Click Create to create directories and files for the database.
The Interplay database is created. For information about the folders and files that compose the
database, see “Interplay Databases, Folders, and Files” on page 23.

Interplay Databases, Folders, and Files

When the Interplay Engine creates a database, it creates a set of directories and files in the locations
you specified in the Create Database view (see “Creating an Interplay Database” on page 22).

The Interplay Engine also creates a user database, which is located on the server that you designated
as the Central Configuration Server during the installation (see “Understanding the Central
Configuration Server” on page 87).

Database File Structure

The database file structure is based on the administrative share that was set during the Interplay
Engine installation. By default, this administrative share is named WG_Database$ and is associated
with the folder D:\Workgroup_Databases (S:\Workgroup_Databases for cluster systems). The “$”
indicates a hidden share. To identify the actual folder, open a Command Prompt window and type
net share.

This folder contains either the AvidWG or the AvidAM folder. If the server is functioning as the
Central Configuration server, the folder also includes the _InternalData folder. The following table
describes these folders:

Database Description

_Internal Data User database: Contains Central Configuration Server information such as
users and roles.

AvidWG Interplay Engine database: Contains metadata for Avid assets and file
assets, and source files for file assets.

AvidAM Interplay Archive Engine database: Contains archived metadata for Avid
assets and file assets, and source files for file assets.

23
 Interplay Databases, Folders, and Files

Database Folders and Files

The following table lists the folders that are included in the AvidWG or AvidAM folders. During
normal work, users or administrators do not need to work directly with these folders and files. All
access for normal work is through Interplay products. You need to work with these files when
splitting a database or possibly when troubleshooting a problem.

c You should exclude the _Database and _PropertyStore folders of each database from any kind
of virus checking because virus checking tools might try to lock the database files).

Database Directories and Files

Directory or File Directory or File Description

_Database The main database directory, which contains database files and the database
journal. These files contain the database structure and all metadata. All files
within this folder contain binary information and cannot be viewed or edited
with a text editor.

_Master The main data directory, which contains the source files for file assets that are
managed by the database (the file repository). This directory contains source
files for all versions of the file assets.

n Source files for Avid assets are always stored in Avid media folders on
shared storage.

Handover Directories: Whenever a file is copied from the client to the server, the file is first copied
_Import, _CheckIn, into one of these directories, depending on what operation (check in, import,
_PropertyHandover, and so on) was performed. The server then moves the file from these handover
_Handover directories into the _Master directory.

_PropertyStore The database directory that contains files holding the contents of streamed
properties. Streamed properties include metadata about Avid assets, such as
head frames and AAF information.

_Backup The data folder that contains backup versions of the database that are created
through the automated backup process (see “Scheduling Automatic Database
Backups” on page 29).

AvidWG.pro, AvidAM.pro A cookie file representing the database. It contains no vital information, but it is
needed to activate a deactivated database (see “Activating a Deactivated
Database” on page 54).

Folderlocations.xml A file that informs the server about the location of the _Database directory.

_Buckets Not currently used.

Maximum Number of Characters for Clip Names, Folders, and Files

Avid recommends adhering to a best practice of a 255 character limit for clip names. While it is
technically possible for clip names to be longer, folders and files are hard set at this 255 maximum
and using it as a guideline may be easier to enforce over time across staff or teams.

Maximum Number of Characters in Interplay Path

The maximum number of characters you can have in a path on the Interplay Engine is 32,767, based
on the Windows operating system limit.

24
 Creating and Restoring Database Backups

Creating and Restoring Database Backups

There are two basic approaches to backing up an Interplay database:
• Using a combination of backups scheduled through the Interplay Administrator (automatic
backups) and manual backups of other parts of the database. This approach should be used as
part of a regular backup strategy.
• Using a professional backup tool to do a complete backup to offline media. This backup should
include both the Interplay backup and the folders that Interplay backup process does not include.
Creating a complete copy of the complete database using Robocopy or 7-Zip is useful before
doing a major system upgrade. These tools can be used in place of a professional backup tool.
However, keep in mind that performance and stability might suffer.

The following topics provide information about creating and restoring database backups:
• “Types of Interplay Administrator Backups” on page 25
• “Recommendations for Backup Configuration” on page 26
• “Scheduling Automatic Database Backups” on page 29
• “Setting the Number of Database Backups to Keep” on page 28
• “Starting a Backup Manually” on page 32
• “Using an Archiving Tool for Backup” on page 33
• “Restoring an Earlier Version of a Database” on page 34
• “Performing a Partial Restore of an Interplay Production Database” on page 44
• “Creating a Metadata-Only Backup for Customer Support” on page 47

Types of Interplay Administrator Backups

The Interplay Administrator lets you run create two different kinds of metadata backups: a Complete
metadata backup and a Fast metadata backup. You can schedule backups to run automatically or you
can run a backup manually. The following table describes the different types of backups.

Backup Type Description

Complete (Full) backup Creates copies of database files in the _Database folder and streamed
properties files in the _PropertyStore folder. Streamed properties include
metadata about Avid assets, such as head frames and AAF information.
This is the preferred backup.

Fast backups:

- Incremental Creates copies of database files and streamed properties files that were
added to the database since the last Complete Backup, the last Incremental
Backup, or the last Differential Backup.

- Differential Creates copies of database files and streamed properties files that were
added to the database since the last Complete Backup. In most cases, this
backup takes longer to perform than an Incremental backup.

25
 Creating and Restoring Database Backups

Backup Type Description

- Metadata Only (Manual backup only) Creates copies of database files in the _Database
folder, but not streamed properties files in the _PropertyStore folder. This
type of Fast backup is less useful than an Incremental or Differential
backup. See “Starting a Backup Manually” on page 32.

c The _PropertyStore folder is critical if you need to completely restore Avid assets. Avid
recommends that you schedule a Complete backup once a week and a Fast backup (either
Incremental or Differential) daily.

For information on how to restore a database, see “Restoring a Complete Backup or a Fast Backup”
on page 36.

Recommendations for Backup Configuration

Automatic backups, as scheduled through the Interplay Administrator, do not back up the entire
database, so they are only one component of a complete backup strategy.

The following table lists the different types of backups needed to completely back up the Interplay
database. For an Interplay archive, substitute AvidAM for AvidWG.

Type of Backup Folders or Files Backed Up

Fast Metadata Only backup AvidWG\_Database

Complete (Full) backup AvidWG\_Database

Fast Incremental backup AvidWG\_PropertyStore
Fast Differential backup

Automatic Full Backup WG_Database$\_InternalData

This folder is automatically backed up once a week
at 1 a.m. on Sunday.

Manual backup AvidWG\_Master

AvidWG\AvidWG.pro
AvidWG\FolderLocations.xml
See “Interplay Databases, Folders, and Files” on
page 23 for descriptions of these folders and files. It
is not necessary to back up AvidWG\_Backup
unless you want to make a backup of automated
backups. Other folders in AvidWG do not need to
be backed up because they are temporary folders
that are automatically recreated.

This type of manual backup might involve tape backup or another kind of backup process.

c The _Master folder, which holds source files for file assets, is not included in the automatic
backup, which includes only metadata. It must be backed up by another backup method
regularly. Also be aware that the automatic backup process does not back up Avid media files
on shared storage workspaces.

26
 Creating and Restoring Database Backups

It is extremely important to use the automatic backup process available through the
Interplay Administrator instead of just a tape backup for backing up the _Database and
_PropertyStore folders. Tape backups can be:
• Inconsistent: A tape backup of the _Database folder while the server is running can lead to
inconsistent backup files because the server might not have applied all the transactions to the
database yet.
• Inconvenient: Because it is not safe to make tape backups of the _Database folder while the
server is running, the server must be completely shut down during tape backup, causing
inconvenience.
• Unpredictable and dangerous: The backup might lock the database files. This prevents the server
from reading and writing those files. The database could become damaged.

Automatic backup ensures database consistency.

Recommended Backup Configuration

Avid recommends the following backup configuration:

• Enable a daily Interplay database backup. The backup should be set to run once daily at
night, when the server is not being used or usage is lowest. See “Scheduling Automatic Database
Backups” on page 29.
• Decide whether to schedule the daily backup as a Complete backup or Fast backup. If you
have a very large database, you can save time by scheduling a Fast backup daily and a Complete
backup every few days. However, keep in mind that a Complete backup is needed to restore Avid
assets. Because Complete backups can affect system performance, schedule Complete backups
when the server is not being used or when usage is lowest. See “Types of Interplay Administrator
Backups” on page 25.
• Check the “number of backups to keep” setting. The Interplay Engine always keeps the last
Complete backup and any later Fast backups. If you want to keep more than one Complete
backup, change the “number of Backups to keep” setting to be larger than the number of
scheduled Fast backups. For more information, see “Setting the Number of Database Backups to
Keep” on page 28.
• Determine where to store the automatic backups. By default, the _Backup folder is located in
the Workgroup_Databases folder. Depending on the size of the database, you might need to
change the location to store backups. If you select a custom location, you can rename the folder
from _Backup to another name.
Non-cluster systems: The default path is
- D:\Workgroup_Databases\AvidWG\_Backup
Storing backups on shared storage is an acceptable configuration, as a custom location.

n Prior to Interplay Engine v1.2.4, storing backups on shared storage was not recommended because
of the large number of small files included in the backup. However, the backup mechanism included
with Interplay Engine v1.2.4 or later significantly reduces the number of files created in the
_PropertyStore folder, which reduces the amount of storage required.

Alternatively, you can store the backups on an external file server. You need to use a UNC path
when you specify the location. Make sure the Server Execution User has read/write access to this
external file server and the backup folder. See “Troubleshooting the Server Execution User
Account” on page 196.

27
 Creating and Restoring Database Backups

Cluster systems: The default path is

- S:\Workgroup_Databases\AvidWG\_Backup
On cluster systems, Avid recommends that you specify \\?\d:\backup as the path for Interplay
backups. (This syntax, with a question mark, is known as a Long UNC or UNCW path, and
allows for more characters than the 260-character limitation of the short UNC path.) This path
will create backups on the local drive of the active node, rather than the RAID array, thus
avoiding a single point of failure.

n SR2400 systems were shipped with 73 GB drives, which are too small for regular backups. These
systems should be upgraded to include larger drives.

• Ensure that the backups are working and actually creating backups. To test the backup,
check that the backup subfolders databasename_date_time are being created at the specified
times (according to the backup configuration) and that these subfolders are not empty. Every
backup should create its own subfolder.
For example, on a non-cluster system, your backup folders might be created in the following
location:
- D:\Workgroup_Databases\AvidWG\_Backup
A backup subfolder might be named AvidWG_2007-05-22_03-00.
• Enable a different backup mechanism, such as tape backup, for all folders except the
_Database and _PropertyStore folders (see the table at the beginning of this topic). The
_Master folder of each database is the most important for the tape backup. Do not include the
_Database and _PropertyStore folders of each database in the tape backup.
• After a Complete backup, copy the backup folder to offline media to prevent data loss. You
can do this as a separate step or as part of a backup of the complete database to offline media (see
the next bullet). Use a backup tool (such as Robocopy or 7-Zip) that can handle long path names
and does not use excessive bandwidth, to avoid slowing down activity on the Interplay Engine.
(See “Using an Archiving Tool for Backup” on page 33).
• Perform a backup of the complete database to offline media. Avid recommends a complete
backup to offline media using a professional backup tool. Archive tools such as Robocopy or 7-
Zip are useful before doing a major system upgrade. They can be used in place of a professional
backup tool. However, performance and stability might suffer.
• If you schedule a regular restart of the engine, set it after the regular backup is created. If
you restart the Interplay Engine, you cannot create a backup until at least one client connects to
the engine. This could be a problem if you schedule a restart and backup at a time when there is
little or not activity, such as the middle of the night.

c The _Database and _PropertyStore folders of each database should be excluded from any kind
of virus checking (virus checking tools might try to lock the database files).

Setting the Number of Database Backups to Keep

The Interplay Engine always keeps the last Complete backup and any later Fast backups. If you want
to keep more than one Complete backup, change the “number of Backups to keep” setting to be
larger than the number of scheduled Fast backups. The default setting is 10.

28
 Creating and Restoring Database Backups

The number of backups to keep includes Complete and Fast backups. After the Interplay Engine
finishes a Complete backup, it checks the number of backups in the _Backup folder. If the number of
backups to keep is exceeded, the Interplay Engine deletes the extra backups regardless of backup
type (Complete or Fast), starting with the oldest. In this way, there is always at least one Complete
Backup available.

Keeping More Than One Complete Backup

If you want to keep more than one complete backup, you must carefully calculate the number of
backups to keep. For example, if you schedule Complete backups once a week and schedule Fast
backups on the other 6 days, the number of backups to keep must be at least 8 (2 Complete backups
and 6 Fast backups). If the number of backups to keep is less than 8, on the day of the Complete
backup the Interplay Engine will delete the second-to-last Complete backup.

The following illustration shows Complete backups on Sundays and Fast backups on the other days
of the week. On Sunday the 8th, after finishing a Complete backup, the Interplay Engine checks the
number of backups. Because the number of backups to keep is 8, it keeps the Complete backup
performed on Sunday the 1st, the 6 Fast backups, and the last Complete backup.

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

C F F F F F F C

In the same example, the Interplay Engine does not check the number of backups again until it
performs a Complete backup on Sunday the 15th. On that day, it deletes the 7 oldest backups, leaving
8. The following illustration shows the 7 oldest backups deleted.

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

C F F F F F F C F F F F F F C

n If you check the _Backup folder before the Interplay Engine finishes a Complete backup, it is possible
for the _Backup folder to contain more than the specified number of backups to keep.

Scheduling Automatic Database Backups

The Backups view in the Interplay Administrator lets you schedule the type and frequency of your
automatic backups. You can schedule two kinds of backups: Complete and Fast. You can schedule
one of two different Fast backups: Incremental or Differential. For a description of the different types
of backups, see “Types of Interplay Administrator Backups” on page 25.

The Interplay Engine performs an automatic backup without locking or shutting down the server, and
users can continue to work with the database. During a backup operation, all actions on the engine
are cached to ensure a fully consistent backup. As a result, the performance of the Interplay Engine is
slower. You should not schedule large-scale deletions during a backup operation.

When a backup is in progress, status messages are displayed at the top of the view.

29
 Creating and Restoring Database Backups

The Backup History section displays incremental and differential backups up to the last successful
complete backup. Administrators can use this as a troubleshooting tool to see if the last backup was
successful and if not, which backups have failed. It also can be used to view which incremental and
differential backups are required for the most recent full restore. This display does not necessarily
match the backups stored in the _Backup folder.

Automatic backups create copies of metadata files, but do not create copies of the assets. You need to
use a different process, such as tape backup, to back up your assets, as described in
“Recommendations for Backup Configuration” on page 26.

c Only _Database and _PropertyStore are backed up through the Interplay Administrator
backup process. Other directories, such as _Master, need to be backed up through a different
process.

c The _PropertyStore folder is critical if you need to completely restore Avid assets. Avid
recommends that you schedule a Complete backup once a week and a Fast backup (either
Incremental or Differential) daily.

By default, backups are stored in the following folder:

\\InterplayEngine\workgroup_Databases\AvidWG\_Backup

You can specify another location, including shared storage. Make sure the Server Execution User has
read/write access this location. For more information, see “Recommendations for Backup
Configuration” on page 26.

For information on restoring a database, see “Restoring a Complete Backup or a Fast Backup” on
page 36.

To schedule database backups:

1. In the Database section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Backups icon.
The Backups view opens.

30
 Creating and Restoring Database Backups

2. In the list on the left side of the view, select the database for which you want to view or specify
automatic backup settings. The current settings are displayed.
3. (Option) In the Backup Information area, change your preferences if necessary.
“Backup only if modified” is selected by default to save space and avoid duplicate identical
copies. The default number of versions to keep is 10. The Interplay Engine always keeps the last
Complete backup and later Fast backups. For more information, see “Recommendations for
Backup Configuration” on page 26.
4. (Option) In the Backup Location preference, select Custom to change the default backup
location.
The custom location must be specified as a UNC path. You can also change the name of the
folder from _Backup to another name. See “Recommendations for Backup Configuration” on
page 26.
5. (Option) In the Fast Metadata Backup area, select “Fast Metadata Backup Enabled” (disabled by
default).

31
 Creating and Restoring Database Backups

6. (Option) If Fast Metadata Backup is enabled, you can change the Fast backup frequency. The
default is set to Daily. You can select any number of days on which you would like to perform
Fast backups or you can set a Fast backup for one day a month.
7. (Option) If Fast Metadata Backup is enabled, you can change the Fast backup time by doing one
of the following:
- Select Once at and change the hour and minutes (within 10 minute intervals) on which it
occurs using the up and down arrows.
- Select Every and set the backup to occur at regular intervals starting at midnight. Use the
down arrow to select the interval.
- Select Custom and specify custom backup times. Use the up and down arrows to select the
time, and then select Add. Repeat to add more times to perform the backup. Select a time
and then Remove to cancel a backup.
The Backup time is the Interplay Engine server's local time.
8. In the Complete Metadata Backup area, make sure the option “Complete Metadata Backup
Enabled” is selected (default).
Avid recommends that you schedule a Complete backup once a week.
9. (Option) Change the Complete backup frequency. Because Complete backups can take a long
time and affect system performance, Avid recommends that you perform Complete backups
when the server is not being used or when usage is lowest. The default is set to Sunday. You can
select any number of days you would like to perform Complete backups.
10. (Option) Change the Backup time by selecting one of the following:
t Select Once at and change the hour and minutes (within 10 minute intervals) on which it
occurs using the up and down arrows.
t Select Every and set the backup to occur at regular intervals starting at midnight. Use the
down arrow to select the interval.
t Select Custom and specify custom backup times. Use the up and down arrows to select the
time, and then click Add. Repeat to add more times to perform the backup. Select a time and
click Remove to cancel a backup.
11. Click the Apply Changes button.

Starting a Backup Manually

You can start an Interplay Administrator backup manually, rather than waiting for a scheduled
automatic backup or changing the existing backup schedules.

To start a backup manually:

1. In the Database section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Backups icon.
The Backups view opens.
2. In the list on the left side of the view, select the database for which you want to view or specify
automatic backup settings. The current settings are displayed.
3. At the top of the view, click the “Start Backup Now” button.

n You can also manually back up the user database on the Central Configuration Server (CCS) from
this view. Click Start CCS (_InternalData) Backup Now.

32
 Creating and Restoring Database Backups

4. Select the kind of backup you want to create. For a description of the different types of backups,
see “Types of Interplay Administrator Backups” on page 25.
5. Click OK

The backup is created in the location you specified. If you navigate to the location, and the backup is
still being created, the folder name includes the words “backup in progress.”

Using an Archiving Tool for Backup

In some circumstances, such as performing a system upgrade, you might want to use an archive tool
to create a backup copy of the complete database folder (AvidWG or AvidAM) and the user database
folder (_InternalData). For information on the location and contents of the databases, see “Interplay
Databases, Folders, and Files” on page 23.

If you create a backup archive, keep in mind that a complete backup can take several hours, during
which the Interplay database is locked and deactivated. Also, you need to use a backup tool that can
handle long path names (longer than 256 characters). For example, use Robocopy (contained in
rktools.exe, available on Microsoft.com) or 7-Zip (an open source utility) to create the archive. You
can save backup time by removing old backups from the _Backup folder.

To make a backup copy of the database on a non-cluster system:

1. Open the Interplay Administration tool.
2. Use the following steps to lock the database:
a. Click Lock/Unlock Databases.
b. Select the database in the Unlocked Databases list.
c. Click Lock Database.
3. Click Menu and click Manage Databases.
4. Select the AvidWG database and click Deactivate. Select AvidAM for an Archive Engine.
5. Click Menu and click the Restart Server view.
6. Click Restart Server and close the Interplay Administration tool.
7. Use a backup tool to make a copy of the following folders and record their location. The
following table shows the default locations.

Interplay Engine or Interplay Archive Engine

Folder Name Default Location

AvidWG (Interplay Engine database) D:\Workgroup_Databases\AvidWG

AvidAM (Archive Engine database) D:\Workgroup_Databases\AvidAM

_InternalData (user database if engine is a D:\Workgroup_Databases\_InternalData

Central Configuration Server)

33
 Creating and Restoring Database Backups

To make a backup copy of the database on a cluster system:

1. Open the Interplay Administration tool.
2. Use the following steps to lock the database:
a. Click Lock/Unlock Databases.
b. Select the database in the Unlocked Databases list.
c. Click Lock Database.
3. Click Menu and click Manage Databases.
4. Select the AvidWG database and click Deactivate. Select AvidAM for an Archive Engine.
5. Close the Interplay Administration tool.
6. Click Start and select Programs > Administrative Tools > Cluster Administrator.
7. Open the Groups folder.
8. Select the Avid Workgroup Server group.
9. Select the Avid Workgroup Engine Monitor resource and take it offline.
10. If you performed the previous step correctly, drive S: should still be accessible within the
Windows environment. If it is not available, use the Cluster Administration tool to put drive S:
online by clicking on the disk resource within the “Avid Workgroup Server Group” and selecting
online.
11. Use a backup tool to make a copy of the following folders and record their location.

Interplay Engine or Interplay Archive Engine

Folder Name Default Location

AvidWG (Interplay Engine database) S:\Workgroup_Databases\AvidWG

AvidAM (Archive Engine database) S:\Workgroup_Databases\AvidAM

_InternalData (user database if engine is a S:\Workgroup_Databases\_InternalData

Central Configuration Server)

n On cluster systems, Avid recommends that you specify \\?\d:\backup as the path for Interplay
backups. See “Recommendations for Backup Configuration” on page 26.

Restoring an Earlier Version of a Database

Restoring a backup version of the _Database and _PropertyStore folders returns a database to the
state it was in when the backup was created. Before restoring a database, make sure that it is
really necessary, because changes since the backup will be lost.

To restore a backup, you need to run the InterplayRestore tool in a Command Prompt window. The
InterplayRestore tool is installed in the following folder:

C:\Program Files\Avid\Avid Interplay Engine\Server

The tool includes in-line help that describes all options for using the tool.

34
 Creating and Restoring Database Backups

The following topics provide instructions for restoring an earlier version of a database:
• “Restoring a Complete Backup or a Fast Backup” on page 36
• “Using the InterplayRestore Tool on the Interplay Engine Server” on page 38
• “Database Restore Session Example” on page 40
• “Using the BackupArchive Tool to Restore Files” on page 42
• “Restoring Archived Log Files” on page 43

You cannot restore parts of a backup, for example, a specific sequence or folder. You can restore only
a Complete backup or a Fast backup.

How the Restore Tool Works with Streamed Properties Files

Beginning with Interplay Engine v1.2.4, the Interplay backup mechanism consolidates the streamed
properties files (all files in the _PropertyStore folder) into large “archive” files. These files are
written into the _PropertyStore folder of the corresponding backup folder. The archive files are
named streamed_propx.bar, where x is replaced with an increasing number starting with 1. The files
are about 1 GB each, except for the last one (with the highest suffix number), which can be smaller.
The exact file size varies depending on the size of the individual streamed property files, because a
single streamed property file is never split up between two .bar files. The backup mechanism also
writes a file named streamed_prop.bin in the same folder. This file contains a directory of all
streamed property files contained in the backup and is used only by the BackupArchive tool (see
“Using the BackupArchive Tool to Restore Files” on page 42). The .bin file is not required by the
InterplayRestore tool.

The InterplayRestore tool is able to work with both the consolidated streamed property files as well
as a backup created by an earlier version of the Interplay Engine. The tool looks for the
streamed_prop1.bar file in the _PropertyStore folder of the backup. If this file does not exist, it
assumes that the backup was created by an earlier version of the engine and resumes with the restore
procedure in the same way as earlier versions of the restore tool. Otherwise, it restores the streamed
properties from the consolidated .bar files.

How the Restore Tool Renames Folders

When the tool begins the restore, it locks the database and then renames the existing folder
_Database to _Database.1. If you are performing a restore from a Complete backup, the tool also
renames _PropertyStore to _PropertyStore.1.

If a folder _Database.1 already exists, the tool creates _Database.2, and so on up to _Database.9. The
tool uses the first free number between 1 and 9 when it renames the _Database and _PropertyStore
folders. If no number is free, you need to delete some of the previously renamed folders so that the
tool can run.

If the backup restore is not completed (if you kill the process, if the system crashes, if you get an
error message, and so on), you can restore the system to its previous state by deleting the _Database
folder (and possibly the _PropertyStore folder) that the tool created and renaming _Database.1 to
_Database (and _PropertyStore.1 to _PropertyStore).

After you verify that the backup ran successfully and your database is working correctly, you can
save storage space by deleting the numbered backup folders ( _Database.x and _PropertyStore.x)
created during the restore process.

35
 Creating and Restoring Database Backups

Restoring a Complete Backup or a Fast Backup

To restore a database, you need to restore a Complete backup, a Fast backup, or both, depending on
the type of backups available. (see “Types of Interplay Administrator Backups” on page 25 for a
description of each type of backup).
• A Complete backup contains a _Database folder and a _PropertyStore folder. A Complete
backup is needed if the complete database needs to be restored, for example, if a hard disk
crashes.
• A Fast Incremental Backup and a Fast Differential Backup also contain a _Database folder and a
_PropertyStore folder. If you restore a Differential or Incremental backup, all backups it depends
on must be in the same backup location.
The following backups must be in the same folder:
- For a Differential backup, the last Complete backup before the backup you are restoring.
- For an Incremental backup, the last Complete backup and the necessary Incremental or
Differential backups between the last Complete backup and the backup you are restoring.
You do not need all backups between the last Complete backup and the backup you are
restoring. You need the most recent Complete backup, the most recent Differential backup
(if any), and any Incremental backups since the last Complete or Differential backup.
For example, if a sequence of backups looks like this: c(complete)1 -> i(incremental)1 -> i2
-> d(differential)1 -> i3 -> i4 -> d2 -> i5 -> i6, to restore i6 the backups you need in the same
folder are c1, d2, i5, and i6. You need these files because i6 contains the changes since i5,
which contains the changes since d2, which contains the changes since c1.
• A Fast Metadata Only backup contains only a _Database folder, and can only be run manually. A
Fast Metadata Only backup is limited in its usefulness. You can use it to restore the database
structure if it becomes corrupted, but it does not restore the contents of the _PropertyStore folder.
To restore the contents of the _PropertyStore folder, you need to restore the most recent
Complete backup, Incremental backup, or Differential backup, as described above.

The InterplayRestore tool automatically identifies the type of backup that you select.

n Earlier versions of the Interplay Engine did not delete streamed properties from the _PropertyStore
folder until the next Complete backup was performed. Starting with Interplay Engine v3.0, streamed
properties are deleted immediately on deletion request unless there is an active backup. In this case,
the deletion takes place after the next Complete backup.

36
 Creating and Restoring Database Backups

Distinguishing Between Types of Backups

To distinguish between a Fast Metadata Only backup and the other types of backups, open the
backup folder and check if a _PropertyStore folder exists. A Fast Metadata Only backup does not
contain a _PropertyStore folder.dd

Fast Metadata Only

backup folder

Complete,
Fast Incremental, or
Fast Differential
backup folder

To distinguish between Complete, Fast Incremental, and Fast Differential backups, open the backup
folder and then open the inventory.xml file in Notepad or another text editor. The type of backup is
listed, along with other information.

Fast Incremental
backup type

37
 Creating and Restoring Database Backups

Example of a Complete Restore Process

Imagine that you have a backup schedule of a Complete backup on Saturday and a Fast Differential
backup every other day of the week. If there is a failure on Friday in which the _Database folder, the
_PropertyStore folder, and other Interplay folders are lost or corrupted, you need to perform the
following steps:
1. Use the InterplayRestore tool to restore the latest Fast Differential backup (from Thursday).
2. To add metadata missing from the _PropertyStore folder, check in bins created for projects since
the Thursday backup.
3. Use the InterplayRestore tool to restore the _InternalData folder.
4. Restore the _Master folder and other folders through whatever mechanism you use for backup.
5. Resynchronize media files with shared storage workspaces. In Interplay Access, right-click the
database name and select Resync. For more information, see “Resyncing Media Files with Avid
Shared-Storage Workspaces” in the Interplay Access User’s Guide or the Interplay Access Help.

Using the InterplayRestore Tool on the Interplay Engine Server

To restore a backup, you need to run the InterplayRestore tool in a Command Prompt window. There
are two ways to run the tool:
• Without parameters, in which case the tool prompts you for the necessary entries (interactive
mode).
• With parameters, in which case the tool runs without prompting, depending on the number of
parameters included. You can use these parameters to create a batch file that partially automates
the restore process.

n You can use the InterplayRestore tool to restore the AvidAM or the _InternalData folder. In the
following procedure, substitute AvidAM or _InternalData for AvidWG.

To restore an earlier version of a database from a backup using interactive mode:

1. On the Interplay Engine server, click Programs and select Accessories > Command Prompt.
2. At the command line, navigate to the folder that contains InterplayRestore. For example, type:
cd C:\Program Files\Avid\Avid Interplay Engine\Server
and press Enter.
3. Type:
InterplayRestore
and press Enter.
4. InterplayRestore prompts you for the database root directory. Type the path and press Enter.
You can use a local path or a UNC path. For example:
D:\Workgroup_Databases\AvidWG
\\IEServer\WG_Database$\AvidWG
You can use the administrative share name WG_Database$ only in a UNC path.
5. The next prompt asks if you are restoring a split database configuration.
If you answer yes, the next prompt asks you to enter the Interplay database asset path, which is
the path to the AvidWG folder on shared storage. Enter a UNC path, for example:
\\SharedStorageServer\WorkspaceName\AvidWG\

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 Creating and Restoring Database Backups

n Split databases are no longer recommended. See “Reuniting a Split Database” on page 200.

6. At the next prompt, type the backup home directory and press Enter. For example:
D:\Workgroup_Databases\AvidWG\_Backup
If you are working with a split database, this location is probably on the shared storage server.
For example:
\\SharedStorageServer\WorkspaceName\AvidWG\_Backup
7. At the next prompt, select the correct backup from the numbered list of available backups.
Complete backups are labeled “full” and Fast backups are labeled “increment” “difference,” or
“metadataonly.” After you select the backup, press Enter.
The restore process begins. For an example of the process, see “Database Restore Session
Example” on page 40. At the end of the process, a message informs you that you need to restore
the _Master directory manually.
8. Restore your _Master folder through whatever mechanism you use for backup.

n The _Master database is not backed up by the automated backup feature of Interplay. See
“Recommendations for Backup Configuration” on page 26.

9. Unlock the database by using the Lock/Unlock Database view in the Interplay Administrator.
10. Check to make sure you can access the restored database from Interplay Access, and that you can
preview clip headframes.
11. Delete the _Database.1 and _PropertyStore.1 directories, or whatever numbered backup
directories were created through the restore process. See “Restoring an Earlier Version of a
Database” on page 34.

To restore an earlier version of a database from a backup by passing parameters to the tool,
do one of the following:
t For a non-split database, navigate to the folder that holds InterplayRestore, type the following,
and press Enter:
InterplayRestore /m <database metadata root dir> /backupdir <database
backup dir>
For example:
InterplayRestore /m d:\Workgroup_Databases\AvidWG /
backupdir d:\Workgroup_Databases\AvidWG\_Backup
InterplayRestore prompts you to choose from a numbered list of available backups and then
restores the earlier version. Continue with steps 8 through 11 above.

n The parameter /m is a short version of the parameter /metadata. You can view information on the
complete syntax for the tool by entering InterplayRestore /help.

n Because the paths for the /metadata and /backupdir parameters are unlikely to change, you can
create a batch file that includes these values, as in the previous example. To restore the database, run
the batch file and select the number of the backup you want to restore.

n Split databases are no longer recommended. See “Reuniting a Split Database” on page 200.

39
 Creating and Restoring Database Backups

t For a split database, navigate to the folder that holds InterplayRestore, type the following, and
press Enter:
InterplayRestore /m <database metadata root dir>
/assets <split database asset directory>
/backupdir <database backup dir>
For example:
InterplayRestore /m d:\Workgroup_Databases\AvidWG /
assets \\isis\workspace1\AvidWG /backupdir \\isis\workspace1\AvidWG\_Backup
InterplayRestore prompts you to choose from a numbered list of available backups and then
restores the earlier version. Continue with steps 8 through 11 above.

n Because the paths for the /metadata ,/assets , and /backupdir parameters are unlikely to
change, you can create a batch file that includes these values, as in the previous example. To restore
the database, run the batch file and select the number of the backup you want to restore.

t If you know the specific backup you want to restore, navigate to the folder that holds
InterplayRestore, type the following, and press Enter:
InterplayRestore /m <database metadata root dir> /backupdir <database
backup dir> /backuptorestore <backup folder for restore>
For example:
InterplayRestore /m d:\Workgroup_Databases\AvidWG /
backupdir d:\Workgroup_Databases\AvidWG\_Backup /backuptorestore
d:\Workgroup_Databases\AvidWG\_Backup\AvidWG_2007-08-20_01-00
InterplayRestore restores the earlier version. Continue with steps 8 through 11 above.

Database Restore Session Example

The following is an example of an interactive session, which begins with the command for starting
the InterplayRestore tool.

40
 Creating and Restoring Database Backups

n Split databases are no longer recommended. See “Reuniting a Split Database” on page 200.

C:\>”C:\Program Files\Avid\Avid Interplay Engine\Server\InterplayRestore”

********************************************************************

InterplayRestore - Restore Interplay databases from backup

A non interactive mode is also available.

Run "InterplayRestore.exe /?" for help

Enter the Interplay database root or metadata directory:

D:\Workgroup_Databases\AvidWG

Is this a split database configuration? <y/n> y

Enter the Interplay database asset path: \\isis\workspace1\AvidWG

Enter the backup root directory: \\isis\workspace1\AvidWG\_Backup

Choose a backup to restore from:

[1] Tuesday, June 10, 2010 3:05:00 AM full

[2] Thursday, June 12, 2010 3:04:00 AM increment

[3] Friday, June 13, 2010 3:05:00 AM full

[4] Saturday, June 14, 2010 3:00:00 AM full

Choose an entry ( 1 - 4 ):

Assume you choose 1. The tool locks the project so that no one can access the database and then
copies the files:

Beginning restore from \\isis\workspace1\avidwg\_Backup\AvidWG_2010-06-10_03-

05\

This is a Full backup

Restoring split database. Metadata restored to d:\Workgroup_Databases\avidwg\.

PropertyStore Assets restored to \\isis\workspace1\avidwg

Locked project AvidWG

Copying files into d:\Workgroup_Databases\avidwg\_Database

Copying file AvidWG.dor

...

It leaves the database locked and gives you the following message:

Database AvidWG is still locked because you need to restore _Master manually,
or through your existing tape backup mechanism.

When you are done restoring _Master, use the Lock/Unlock Database view in
Interplay Administrator to unlock the AvidWG database. This will complete your
restore operation.

41
 Creating and Restoring Database Backups

Using the BackupArchive Tool to Restore Files

The BackupArchive tool is a command-line program that lets you work with files contained in the
_PropertyStore folder contained in a database backup. The _PropertyStore folder holds streamed
properties, which are files that include metadata about Avid assets, such as headframes and AAF
information. The streamed property files are backed up (as an archive) in one or more .bar files in the
_PropertyStore backup folder. For more information about .bar files, see “Restoring an Earlier
Version of a Database” on page 34.

You can use the BackupArchive tool to display a list of all streamed properties files in the
_PropertyStore backup folder. You can also use it in an emergency situation in which the online
database is missing and the backup file is corrupt. In this case, you would use the tool to extract as
many files as possible from the corrupt backup. It is not a replacement for the InterplayRestore tool.

For example, the following illustration shows the contents of the 0-1999 subfolder in the active
_PropertyStore folder on the Interplay Engine:

The following illustration shows the corresponding files as they appear in the archive file
\AvidWG\_Backup\AvidWG_2008-05-04_01-00\_PropertyStore\streamed_prop1.bar:

The .bar file is a file that you can only open by using the BackupArchive tool.

n In previous versions of Interplay, you could use Windows Explorer to view and work with the
streamed properties files in the _PropertyStore backup folder. Because the current backup
mechanism uses archive files, you need this tool to view and work with files in the _PropertyStore
backup folder.

The following procedures describe how to view a list of streamed properties, how to unpack an
archive, and how to extract specific files. If you need to restore the streamed properties to a database
in an emergency situation, contact Avid support.

42
 Creating and Restoring Database Backups

The complete syntax for using the BackupArchive tool is provided in the in-line help, which you can
display by typing BackupArchive in a Command Prompt window.

To list all streamed properties files in an archive file:

1. On the Interplay Engine, click Programs and select Accessories > Command Prompt.
2. At the command line, navigate to the folder that contains the BackupArchive tool.
For example, type the following and press Enter:
cd C:\Program Files\Avid\Avid Interplay Engine\Server
3. Type the following and press Enter:
backuparchive /L <archive>
Do not use the file extension when typing the name of the archive file. For example,
backuparchive /L \\docisis\workspace3\AvidWG\_Backup\AvidWG_2008-05-04_01-
00\_PropertyStore\streamed_prop
Make sure to type the command on a single line.

n To direct the output of this command to a text file for easier review, add > textfile.txt to the end
of the command.

To unpack all streamed properties files:

t Type the following and press Enter:
backuparchive /U <archive> <destination folder>
Do not use the file extension when typing the name of the archive file. For example, the
following command unpacks all property store files into a temporary folder on the Interplay
Engine:
backuparchive /U \\docisis\workspace3\AvidWG\_Backup\AvidWG_2008-05-04_01-
00\_PropertyStore\streamed_prop D:\Workgroup_Databases\TempPropertyStore
Make sure to type the command on a single line.

To extract and restore specific streamed properties files:

t Type the following and press Enter:
backuparchive /E /P:<pattern> <archive> <destination folder>
Do not use the file extension when typing the name of the archive file. To define a pattern, you
can use the standard Windows syntax. For example, the following command extracts all files
whose names include Scr (screenshots) into a temporary folder on the Interplay Engine:
backuparchive /E /P:*Scr* \\docisis\workspace3\AvidWG\_Backup\AvidWG_2008-
05-04_01-00\_PropertyStore\streamed_prop
D:\Workgroup_Databases\TempPropertyStoreScreenshots
Make sure to type the command on a single line.

Restoring Archived Log Files

In Interplay version 1.6 and later, the Interplay Engine compresses and archives log files older than 7
days. The log compression process runs during project backup. (This process runs at most once per
day, even if multiple backups are scheduled on the same day.) Archive files (with the extensions .bar
and .bin) are stored in the same directory as the log files for 30 days and then are automatically
deleted. You can extract the compressed log files from an archive by using the BackupArchive tool
described in “Using the BackupArchive Tool to Restore Files” on page 42.

43
 Creating and Restoring Database Backups

Performing a Partial Restore of an Interplay Production Database

Interplay Administrator v3.0 introduced a new option to the InterplayRestore tool that lets you select
an incremental backup to use for the restore process, without restoring the complete database.
Restoring from one or more incremental backups is referred to as a partial restore.

Prior to this release, the InterplayRestore tool always restored the complete database, even if you
selected to restore from an incremental backup. Performing a partial restore can save a significant
amount of time, depending on the size of the database.

When to Perform a Partial Restore

One example of an effective use of a partial restore is if a facility is replacing its Interplay Engine
with a new server. This is often a gradual process that takes several days. For example, you might
create a database on a new server by performing a complete restore of the existing database on
Monday. You test the system on Tuesday. If all goes well, you perform a partial restore on
Wednesday to add changes that took place in the database since the last complete backup, and then
bring the new server on line.

c Make sure you have performed a full restore of the last complete backup before you perform a
partial restore. A partial restore only restores incremental changes since the last complete
backup.

Selecting from the Backup Chain

When you run the InterplayRestore tool in interactive mode (without command line options), and
select a backup to restore, a backup chain of files is displayed. The backup chain is determined by the
backup you selected to restore. In the following example, you select incremental backup entry 3. The
backup chain lists the last full backup and any subsequent incremental backups.

[1] 04 February 2013 16:00:00 full

[2] 05 February 2013 16:00:00 incremental
[3] 06 February 2013 16:00:00 incremental
[4] 07 February 2013 16:00:00 incremental
Choose an entry ( 1 - 4 ): 3
Backup restore chain
0. Test_2013-02-04_16-00 full
1. Test_2013-02-05_16-00 incremental
2. Test_2013-02-06_16-00 incremental
3. Test_2013-02-07_16-00 incremental

The InterplayRestore tool gives you an option of selecting a partial restore. If you type “y,” you are
asked to select which file in the restore chain from which to start the restore. In the following
example, backup file 1 (Test_2013-02-05_16-00) is selected.

Is this a partial restore (y/n): y

Choose an entry in the restore chain to start from ( 1 - 2 ): 1

You are then asked to select how many entries forward you want to restore:

Choose how many entries to restore ( 1 - 2 ): 2

44
 Creating and Restoring Database Backups

In the example, starting with file 1 and selecting two entries mean that the partial restore will be run
from the following files:

1. Test_2013-02-05_16-00 incremental
2. Test_2013-02-06_16-00 incremental

Results of a Partial Restore

If you perform a full backup, the Interplay Engine renames the original _Database and
_PropertyStore folders before the restore procedure, and creates new folders for restored files during
the restore procedure. The resulting files are similar to the following:

_Database
_Database.1
…
_PropertyStore
_PropertyStore.1

where _Database_and PropertyStore are newly restored from backup files, and _Database.1 and
_PropertyStore.1 are renamed original files.

If you perform a partial restore, the Interplay Engine does not rename the original folders. Instead, it
overwrites database files in the _Database folder with latest versions from the restore chain and
merges streamed property files to the existing _PropertyStore folder.

Displaying a Restore Chain

You have the option of displaying the restore chain for a selected backup without performing the
restore. To display the restore chain, use the /printchain option in a interactive or non-interactive
command line, as shown in the following examples:

Non-interactive mode:

InterplayRestore /metadata F:\Workgroup_Databases\Test /backupdir

F:\Workgroup_Databases\Test\_Backup /printchain

Interactive mode:

InterplayRestore /printchain

In either case, you are asked to choose a backup starting point.

Choose a backup to restore from:

[1] 04 February 2013 16:39:00 full

[2] 04 February 2013 16:42:00 incremental
[3] 04 February 2013 16:44:00 incremental
[4] 24 February 2013 01:00:00 full

Choose an entry ( 1 - 4 ): 3
Backup restore chain
0. Test_2013-02-04_16-39 full
1. Test_2013-02-04_16-42 incremental
2. Test_2013-02-04_16-44 incremental

45
 Creating and Restoring Database Backups

Example of Partial Restore

The following is an example of an interactive session, which begins with the command for starting
the InterplayRestore tool.

C:\Program Files\Avid\Avid Interplay Engine\Server>InterplayRestore

**************************************************************************

InterplayRestore - Restore Interplay databases from backup

Entering interactive mode.

A non-interactive mode is also available.
Run "InterplayRestore.exe /help" for help

Enter the Interplay database root or metadata directory:

F:\Workgroup_Databases\Test
Is this a split database configuration (y/n): n
Enter the backup root directory: F:\Workgroup_Databases\Test\_Backup
Choose a backup to restore from:
[1] 04 February 2013 16:39:00 full
[2] 04 February 2013 16:42:00 incremental
[3] 04 February 2013 16:44:00 incremental
[4] 24 February 2013 01:00:00 full
Choose an entry ( 1 - 4 ): 3
Backup restore chain
0. Test_2013-02-04_16-39 full
1. Test_2013-02-04_16-42 incremental
2. Test_2013-02-04_16-44 incremental
Is this a partial restore (y/n): y
Choose an entry in the restore chain to start from ( 1 - 2 ): 1
Choose how many entries to restore ( 1 - 2 ): 2

Project Test already locked

Restoring to F:\Workgroup_Databases\Test\
Beginning restore from F:\Workgroup_Databases\Test\_Backup\Test_2013-02-04_16-
42\
This is a incremental backup
Copying streamed properties...
Opening archive file F:\Workgroup_Databases\Test\_Backup\Test_2013-02-04_16-
42\_PropertyStore\streamed_prop1.bar
Extracting file F:\Workgroup_Databases\Test\_PropertyStore\2013-
35\1373_StreamedProperty_AAFBinary1073743196-1.prp
Verifying that we have all streamed property BAR files...
Beginning restore from F:\Workgroup_Databases\Test\_Backup\Test_2013-02-04_16-
44\
This is a incremental backup
Copying streamed properties...
Opening archive file F:\Workgroup_Databases\Test\_Backup\Test_2013-02-04_16-
44\_PropertyStore\streamed_prop1.bar
Extracting file F:\Workgroup_Databases\Test\_PropertyStore\2013-
35\1428_StreamedProperty_AAFBinary1073743252-0.prp

46
 Creating and Restoring Database Backups

Extracting file F:\Workgroup_Databases\Test\_PropertyStore\2013-

35\1436_StreamedProperty_AAFBinary1073743260-0.prp
Verifying that we have all streamed property BAR files...

Copying files into F:\Workgroup_Databases\Test\_Database

Copying file Test.jdf
...
Restore operation successful
Project Test is still locked for your restore of _Master.

The database is still locked because you need to restore the _Master
directory manually, or through your existing tape backup mechanism.
When you are done restoring _Master, use the Lock/Unlock Database view in
Interplay Administrator to unlock the database. This will complete your restore
operation.

Creating a Metadata-Only Backup for Customer Support

In some support situations, Avid customer support might request a metadata-only backup of your
Interplay Production database. A metadata-only backup creates copies of database files in the
_Database folder, but not streamed properties files in the _PropertyStore folder.

To create a metadata-only backup file:

1. In the Database section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Backups icon.
The Backups view opens.
2. In the list on the left side of the view, select the database for which you want to create the
backup. The database is named either AvidWG (Interplay Engine) or AvidAM (Interplay
Archive Engine).
3. At the bottom of the view, click the “Start Backup Now...” button.

4. In the Start Backup dialog box, select Metadata only and click OK.

47
 Performing a Consistency Check

The backup file is created in specified backup location, for example:

AvidWG\_Backup\AvidWG_2013-02-12_01-00
To distinguish between a metadata-only backup and the other types of backups, open the backup
folder and check if a _PropertyStore folder exists. A metadata-only backup does not contain a
_PropertyStore folder.
5. Use an archive program like 7-Zip to create a compressed file to send to customer support.

Performing a Consistency Check

The database Consistency Check compares the version of the database or databases on the master
directory with the current database file. The Perform Consistency Check view provides a useful tool
for checking if all references are correct, seeing if all necessary files are on the disk, and checking
other aspects of the database.

c The Consistency Check is for support purposes. You should perform this check only if
requested by Avid Technical Support.

Viewing Database Information

Use the Database Information view to display information about an Interplay database. This
information includes various statistics and the connected users.

To view the information about a database:

1. In the Database section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Database Information
icon.
The Database Information view opens. This might take a minute or two, depending on how long
the engine has been running.

48
 Viewing Database Information

A summary of information about the database is displayed:

- Engine Start Time: The date and time that the Interplay Engine began running.
- Name and description: Either AvidWG (Interplay Engine) or AvidAM (Interplay Archive
Engine) with a description supplied when the database was first created.
- Root folder for database (Meta Data): See “Creating an Interplay Database” on page 22.
- Root folder for data (Assets): See “Creating an Interplay Database” on page 22.
- Database GUID: The global unique identifier (GUID) for the server that hosts the Interplay
Engine and the Interplay Production database. You can copy and paste the GUID as needed
for configuration or troubleshooting.
2. Click one of the following tabs:
- Database Statistics
- Deletion Statistics
- Command Statistics
- Object Statistics
- Connected User Information

For information about these tabs, see “Database Information Tabs” on page 49.

Database Information Tabs

The following sections describe the individual tabs in the Database Information view.

49
 Viewing Database Information

Database Statistics

Statistics in this tab provide information about the number of pages in the database, cache usage, and
how they relate to each other. These statistics are useful in determining database scalability. For more
information, see “Determining Interplay Database Scalability” in the Interplay Best Practices Guide.

Deletion Statistics

Statistics in this tab provide information about deletion activity.

The time at the top of the tab is the last time information was received from the Interplay Engine and
is automatically updated every minute.

Statistics are divided into two categories:

• Scheduled Deletion Statistics. If the Engine is currently performing a scheduled deletion, the
Current Deletion Slot column shows statistics from the deletion in progress. If the Engine is not
currently performing a scheduled deletion, the column is not displayed.
The third column shows statistics about the last completed scheduled deletion. If there has not
been a scheduled deletion since the last time the Interplay Engine was started, the column is not
displayed.
Statistics in this tab refer to assets that were sent to the Orphan Clips folder as a result of a
scheduled deletion. Statistics are shown for the following parameters:
- Processed Assets: The number of assets in the Orphan Clips folder that the Interplay Engine
processed during the deletion. This process includes examining whether the assets should be
deleted or moved to another folder. This number is usually higher than other similar
statistics. For example, if the deletion is delayed (a setting in the Scheduled Deletion section
of the Delete Behavior view), the Engine examines the assets before a deletion takes place.
- Deleted Assets: The number of assets in the Orphan Clips folder that were deleted.
- Assets moved to Kept Media: The number of objects moved as a result of the scheduled
deletion.
- Assets moved to Failed to Delete: The number of objects that failed to delete as a result of
the scheduled delete.
- Successfully deleted media files: The number of media files deleted from shared-storage.
Only media files deleted by a scheduled deletion from Orphan Clips are counted, not media
files deleted by the interactive part of a deletion.
- Size of successfully deleted media files. The cumulative size of the successful deletions in
KB, based on information in the Interplay Engine database. This information is not
necessarily the most recent information from the Media Indexer.
• Deletion Statistics Since Last Engine Start: These parameters list cumulative totals since the last
time the Interplay Engine was started. The statistics in this section include deletions outside of
the scheduled deletion slots. for example, media files deleted directly in Interplay Access.
Statistics are shown for the following parameters:
- Failed media files deletions
- Successful media files deletions
- Failed metadata deletions
- Successful metadata deletions

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 Viewing Database Information

Command Statistics (Engine Search Requests)

The statistics in this tab provide information about commands executed by the Interplay Engine.
Currently the only command included is Search, which is listed as Engine Search Requests. These
commands are search requests made in Access or other clients that are processed by the Interplay
Engine.

Because searches are a common way that users notice a slowdown in Interplay Engine performance,
these statistics can be useful in troubleshooting performance problems.

The time at the top of the tab is the last time information was received from the client and is
automatically updated every minute.

Statistics are shown for the following parameters:

• Period: The ten most recent measurement periods are listed in the Period column. Periods are a
maximum of one minute and are created only if there are search commands executed. You
cannot check statistics for earlier periods.
• Duration: The length of the measurement period, from the finish of the first search until the
finish of the last search in this period. Note that the summary for the Duration column displays
the time from the oldest to the latest measurement period, not a summary of the Duration
periods.

Other parameters are described in the tab.

Object Statistics

Statistics on this tab show totals for objects in the database. This information is not updated until you
open the view again.
• Total number of database objects: A sum of the objects listed below.
• Database objects per database page: This statistic is calculated as
total number of database objects / total number of database pages
• masterclip, sequence, subclip, group, motioneffect, effect, renderedeffect: the number of these
object types.
• filemob: the number of file locations that are known to the Engine, regardless of online or offline
status. Matches the files listed in the File Locations tab in Interplay Access.
• avid asset (in browse tree): the number of links or representations visible in the database tree.
• folder: the number of folders in the database, both those visible in the database tree and those not
visible in the database tree.
• user: the number of users in the database.
• other objects: additional versions of sequences, internal database management objects, and file
assets

Connected User Information

Statistics on this tab show information about each user currently connected to the Interplay Engine.
This information is not updated until you open the view again. This information is also displayed in
the Server Information view. For more information, see “Viewing Server Information” on page 72.

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 Locking and Unlocking Databases

Locking and Unlocking Databases

Use the Lock/Unlock Databases view to prevent users from connecting to the database. You might
need to lock the database if you are upgrading the database or using a archive tool to create a backup
of the database. By default, the database is unlocked.

To lock a database:
1. In the Database section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Lock/Unlock Database
icon.
The Lock/Unlock database view opens.

2. Select the database in the Unlocked Databases list.

3. (Option) Type a Lock comment explaining why you are locking the database. This information
appears in the Locked Database Information area for the database.
4. Click Lock Database.
Your user ID and the time at which you locked the database are filled in, and the database is
displayed in Locked Databases.

To unlock a database:
1. Select the database in the Locked Databases list.
2. Click Unlock Database.
The database is displayed in Unlocked Databases.

52
 Managing Databases: Deactivating, Activating, and Migrating

Managing Databases: Deactivating, Activating, and

Migrating
Use the Managing Databases view to remove a database from the list of active databases (deactivate)
or to restore it to the list (activate). This view also lets you migrate a database to a new Central
Configuration Server (CCS) when necessary.

The following topics provide more information about activating, deactivating, and migrating
databases:
• Deactivating a Database
• Activating a Deactivated Database
• Migrating a Database

Deactivating a Database
You might want to prevent users from connecting to a database if the database has been “retired” and
the files have been moved elsewhere. In other cases, such as when you are backing up or moving
databases, you might need to ensure that no connections can be made to the database to avoid
interference. Deactivating the database removes it from the list of active databases.

c Deactivating a database does not delete the database files. It makes the database inactive so
that users cannot connect to it until it is activated again. The database data is kept at the
location that was specified when the database was created.

To deactivate a database:
1. In the Database section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Manage Databases icon.
The Manage Databases view opens.

53
 Managing Databases: Deactivating, Activating, and Migrating

2. Select the database name in the Databases list.

3. Click Deactivate.
The database name is removed from the Databases list.

Activating a Deactivated Database

If a specific database is not listed in the Databases view, it means that it is unknown to the Interplay
Engine and users cannot connect to it. If the database exists but is not listed, it is probably
deactivated. You activate a database by navigating to the database .pro file (AvidWG.pro or
AvidAM.pro). This file is located in the Workgroup_Databases folder, represented by the
administrative share name WG_Database$ (see “Creating an Interplay Database” on page 22).

To add an existing but inactive database to the list of active databases:

1. In the Database section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Manage Databases icon.
The Manage Databases view opens.
2. Do one of the following:
t In the “Database (.pro) file to activate” text box, type the full UNC path to the .pro file. For
example:
\\IEServer\WG_Database$\AvidWG\AvidWG.pro
t Click the Browse button, log in if prompted, navigate to the .pro file using a network, select
the file, and click Open.
The following illustration shows the path to AvidWG.pro, using the Microsoft Windows smb
network and the administrative share WG_Database$.

n Avid recommends keeping the default share name WG_Database$. If you decide on a different share
name, consider that if the name is longer than 12 characters, you cannot browse to it graphically. If a
share name is longer than 12 characters, you need to type the complete path in the “Database (pro)
file to activate” text box.

54
 Managing Databases: Deactivating, Activating, and Migrating

Make sure to navigate through a network to select the file (for example, do not navigate through
a mapped network drive). You must use a UNC path.
The .pro file is displayed in the Activate Database dialog box.

3. Make sure the option “Load Database on Activation” is selected. Deselect this option only if
directed by Avid support.
4. Click Activate.
The database is activated and loaded. The database name is displayed in the Databases list and
users can connect to the database. If the option “Load Database on Activation” is selected, the
database is automatically unlocked.

Migrating a Database
You usually need to perform a database migration under the following circumstances:
• When you want to remove all users and group-related data from a database. This allows you to
start with new users and groups and maintain the metadata and the data inside the database.
• When you are troubleshooting a problem with customer support. For example, customer support
might ask you to provide a copy of your database.
• If you changed the Central Configuration Server (CCS) for a database without first moving the
_InternalData folder. If a database needs to be migrated, the State reads “Database Requires
Migration.”
Do not use a database that requires migration; always migrate a database to a CCS. You cannot
administer an unmigrated database.

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 Managing Databases: Deactivating, Activating, and Migrating

If a database needs migration, the database icon shows a red box with an X and a yellow arrow.
The database icon appears in several views in the Interplay Administrator, including the Manage
Database Roles view.

(Red box with X and yellow arrow) Database needs migration.

c When you migrate a database, the system deletes all the information inside the database that
was stored from the old CCS, including users, user settings and local administration settings.

c If you plan to migrate an Interplay Engine or Interplay Archive Engine database, turn off the
database backup process before you perform the migration. If you do not turn off the backup
process and it coincides with the migration, your backup will write out an inconsistent state of
the database (half current and half migrated).

To migrate a database to a new CCS:

1. In the Database section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Manage Databases icon.
The Manage Databases view opens.

2. In the Manage Databases view, click the name of the database that needs migration. The State
reads “Database Requires Migration.”
A warning explains the consequences of a database migration.
3. Click Migrate Database.
After the migration, the State reads “OK.” The database now has the CCS users and
administration properties of the new CCS you have set.

56
 Moving a Database to Another Server (Non-Clustered Systems)

Moving a Database to Another Server (Non-Clustered

Systems)
Under special circumstances, you might need to move a database to a different server.

The following procedure refers to Interplay Engine servers that are not configured as failover
clusters. For clustered systems, see “Moving a Database to Another Server (Clustered Systems)” on
page 60.

c Avid recommends that you have telephone support from Avid during the process in case
complications arise.

c If you move a database to a server that points to a different CCS, all the old CCS information
that was stored, including users, user settings, and local administration settings for the
database, will be lost because you will have to migrate the database (see “Migrating a
Database” on page 55). If you move a database to another server and also move the CCS,
however, this information is preserved. To move both a database and a CCS, see “Moving a
Database and Users to Another Server (Non-Clustered Systems)” on page 58.

To move a database to another server (non-clustered systems):

1. Install the Interplay Engine on a new server (the target server).
Make sure the configuration is the same on both systems. For example, if you are moving an
AvidWG database, create an AvidWG database on the new server.
2. On the source server, lock the database by using the Lock/Unlock Database view (see “Locking
and Unlocking Databases” on page 52).
All clients are disconnected from the source server.
3. Deactivate the database by using the Manage Databases view (see “Deactivating a Database” on
page 53).
4. Make sure the database is unloaded from the server by opening the Restart Server view and
clicking Restart.
5. Locate the database folder on the source server.
The default path is \\server_name\WG_Database$\AvidWG (or AvidAM for an Archive
Manager). By default, the administrative share WG_Database$ refers to
D:\Workgroup_Databases.
6. Pack the database folder into a zip file or use Robocopy from the Microsoft Windows Resource
Kit for path names longer than 256 characters.
To save time and storage, you do not need to copy all the backups in the
D:\Workgroup_Databases\AvidWG\_Backup folder. One complete backup and the most recent
Fast backup are sufficient.
If you are moving a split database, create two zip files, one for
D:\Workgroup_Databases\AvidWG and the other for
\\server_name\\workspace_name\\AvidWG.

n Split databases are no longer recommended. See “Reuniting a Split Database” on page 200.

7. Copy the zipped file or files to a network server, removable media, laptop, or directly to the
target server.

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 Moving a Database and Users to Another Server (Non-Clustered Systems)

8. Open the Interplay Administrator, log on to the target server, and deactivate the database
(AvidWG or AvidAM) if one is active, using the Manage Databases View.
9. On the target server, rename the existing database folder, for example, rename AvidWG to
AvidWG_old.
10. Copy the zipped file to the target server and unzip the file to the Workgroup_Databases folder.
Make sure the path on the target server matches the path on the source server.
11. Activate the database by using the Manage Databases view (see “Activating a Deactivated
Database” on page 54).
12. On an Interplay Access client, log in to the new server and verify that all data is available.
If all data is available, the new database is ready for use.
If necessary, remove the old database from Interplay Access by right-clicking the database name
and then clicking Remove Databases.
13. (Option) On the source server, rename the original database folder to avoid unwanted future
access.

Moving a Database and Users to Another Server (Non-

Clustered Systems)
Under special circumstances, you might need to move a database and users to a different server.

The following procedure refers to Interplay Engine servers that are not configured as failover
clusters. For cluster systems, see “Moving a Database and Users to Another Server (Clustered
Systems)” on page 61.

c Avid recommends that you have telephone support from Avid during the process in case
complications arise.

c If you move a database to a server that points to a different CCS, all the old CCS information
that was stored, including users, user settings, and local administration settings for the
database, will be lost because you will have to migrate the database (see “Migrating a
Database” on page 55). If you move a database to another server and also move the CCS,
however, this information is preserved. To move both a database and a CCS, use this
procedure. For more information about a CCS, see “Understanding the Central Configuration
Server” on page 87.

To move a database and users to another server (non-clustered systems):

1. Install the Interplay Engine on a new server (the target server).
Make sure the configuration is the same on both systems. For example, if you are moving an
AvidWG database, create an AvidWG database on the new server.
2. On the source server, lock the database by using the Lock/Unlock Database view (see “Locking
and Unlocking Databases” on page 52).
3. Deactivate the database by using the Manage Databases view (see “Deactivating a Database” on
page 53).
4. Make sure the database is unloaded from the server by opening the Restart Server view and
clicking Restart.

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 Moving a Database and Users to Another Server (Non-Clustered Systems)

5. Lock the server using the Lock Server view (see “Locking and Unlocking the Server” on
page 73).
6. Locate the database folder on the source server.
The default path is \\server_name\WG_Database$\AvidWG (or AvidAM for an Archive
Manager). By default, the administrative share WG_Database$ refers to
D:\Workgroup_Databases.
7. Pack the database folder into a zip file or use Robocopy from the Microsoft Windows Resource
Kit for path names longer than 256 characters.
To save time and storage, you do not need to copy all the backups in the
D:\Workgroup_Databases\AvidWG\_Backup folder. One complete backup and the most recent
Fast backup are sufficient.
If you are moving a split database, create two zip files, one for
D:\Workgroup_Databases\AvidWG and the other for
\\server_name\\workspace_name\\AvidWG.

n Split databases are no longer recommended. See “Reuniting a Split Database” on page 200.

8. Locate the user folder _InternalData on the source server.

The default path is D:\Workgroup_Databases\_InternalData.
9. Copy the zipped file or files and the _InternalData folder to a network server, removable media,
laptop, or directly to the target server.
10. Open the Interplay Administrator, log in to the target server, and deactivate the database
(AvidWG or AvidAM) using the Manage Databases View.
11. On the target server, rename the existing database folder, for example, rename AvidWG to
AvidWG_old.
12. Make sure all databases are unloaded from the server by opening the Restart Server view and
clicking Restart.
13. Lock the server by using the Lock Server view (see “Locking and Unlocking the Server” on
page 73).
14. Rename the existing _InternalData folder to _InternalData_old.
15. Copy the zipped file to the target server and unzip the file to the Workgroup_Databases folder.
Copy the _InternalData folder to the Workgroup_Databases folder. Make sure the path on the
target server matches the path on the source server.
16. Unlock the server using the Lock Server view.
17. Verify that all users are on the system by opening the User Management view and viewing the
lists of user groups.
18. Activate the database by using the Manage Databases view (see “Activating a Deactivated
Database” on page 54).
19. On an Interplay Access client, log in to the new server and verify that all data is available.
If all data is available, the new database is ready for use.
If necessary, remove the old database from Interplay Access by right-clicking the database name
and then clicking Remove Databases.
20. (Option) On the source server, rename the original database folder to avoid unwanted future
access.

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 Moving a Database to Another Server (Clustered Systems)

Moving a Database to Another Server (Clustered

Systems)
Under special circumstances, you might need to move a database to a different server.

The following procedure refers to Interplay Engine servers that are configured as failover clusters.
For non-clustered systems, see “Moving a Database to Another Server (Non-Clustered Systems)” on
page 57.

c Avid recommends that you have telephone support from Avid during the process in case
complications arise.

c If you move a database to a server that points to a different CCS, all the old CCS information
that was stored, including users, user settings, and local administration settings for the
database, will be lost because you will have to migrate the database (see “Migrating a
Database” on page 55). If you move a database to another server and also move the CCS,
however, this information is preserved. To move both a database and a CCS, see “Moving a
Database and Users to Another Server (Clustered Systems)” on page 61.

To move a database to another server (clustered systems):

1. Install the Interplay Engine on a new server (the target server).
Make sure the configuration is the same on both systems. For example, if you are moving an
AvidWG database, create an AvidWG database on the new server.
2. On the source server, lock the database by using the Lock/Unlock Database view (see “Locking
and Unlocking Databases” on page 52).
All clients are disconnected from the source server.
3. Deactivate the database using the Manage Databases view (see “Deactivating a Database” on
page 53).
4. Make sure the database is unloaded by using the Cluster Administrator on one of the cluster
nodes:
a. Select Programs > Administrative Tools > Cluster Administrator.
b. Open the Avid Workgroup Server resource group.
c. In the list of resources, select Avid Workgroup Engine Monitor and change the state to
“Offline.”

c Make sure that you change the state to offline for the Avid Workgroup Engine Monitor
resource only, not the entire Avid Workgroup Server group.

d. Close the Cluster Administrator.

5. Locate the database folder on the active node of the source server.
The default path is \\virtual_cluster_name\WG_Database$\AvidWG (or AvidAM for an Archive
Manager). By default, the administrative share WG_Database$ refers to
S:\Workgroup_Databases. For more information, see “Identifying the Root Folder of the
Interplay Server Database” on page 70.

n If the S drive is not available on the machine, either this is the offline node or the entire Avid
Workgroup Server group was taken offline instead of only the resource.

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 Moving a Database and Users to Another Server (Clustered Systems)

6. Pack the database folder into a zip file or use Robocopy from the Microsoft Windows Resource
Kit for path names longer than 256 characters.
To save time and storage, you do not need to copy all the backups in the
S:\Workgroup_Databases\AvidWG\_Backup folder. One complete backup and the most recent
Fast backup are sufficient.
If you are moving a split database, create two zip files, one for
S:\Workgroup_Databases\AvidWG and the other for
\\server_name\\workspace_name\\AvidWG.

n Split databases are no longer recommended. See “Reuniting a Split Database” on page 200.

7. Copy the zipped file or files to a network server, removable media, a laptop, or directly to the
target server.
8. Open the Interplay Administrator, log on to the target server, and deactivate the database
(AvidWG or AvidAM) using the Manage Databases View.
9. On the target server, rename the existing database folder, for example, rename AvidWG to
AvidWG_old.
10. Copy the zipped file to the target server and unzip the file to the Workgroup_Databases folder.
Make sure the path on the target server matches the path on the source server.
11. Activate the database by using the Manage Databases view (see “Activating a Deactivated
Database” on page 54).
12. On an Interplay Access client, log in to the new server and verify that all data is available.
If all data is available, the new database is ready for use.
If necessary, remove the old database from Interplay Access by right-clicking the database name
and then clicking Remove Databases.
13. (Option) On the source server, rename the original database folder to avoid unwanted future
access.
Use the Cluster Administrator to bring the source server back online. Right-click the Avid
Workgroup Server group (not the resource) and select Bring Online.

Moving a Database and Users to Another Server

(Clustered Systems)
Under special circumstances, you might need to move a database and users to a different server.

The following procedure refers to Interplay Engine servers that are configured as failover clusters.
For non-clustered systems, see “Moving a Database and Users to Another Server (Non-Clustered
Systems)” on page 58.

c Avid recommends that you have telephone support from Avid during the process in case
complications arise.

c If you move a database to a server that points to a different CCS, all the old CCS information
that was stored, including users, user settings, and local administration settings for the
database, will be lost because you will have to migrate the database (see “Migrating a
Database” on page 55). If you move a database to another server and also move the CCS,

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 Moving a Database and Users to Another Server (Clustered Systems)

however, this information is preserved. To move both a database and a CCS, use this
procedure. For more information about a CCS, see “Understanding the Central Configuration
Server” on page 87.

To move a database and users to another server (clustered systems):

1. Install the Interplay Engine on a new server (the target server).
Make sure the configuration is the same on both systems. For example, if you are moving an
AvidWG database, create an AvidWG database on the new server.
2. On the source server, lock the database by using the Lock/Unlock Database view (see “Locking
and Unlocking Databases” on page 52).
All clients are disconnected from the source server.
3. Deactivate the database using the Manage Databases view (see “Deactivating a Database” on
page 53).
4. Lock the server using the Lock Server view (see “Locking and Unlocking the Server” on
page 73).
5. Make sure the database is unloaded by using the Cluster Administrator on one of the cluster
nodes:
a. Select Programs > Administrative Tools > Cluster Administrator.
b. Open the Avid Workgroup Server resource group.
c. In the list of resources, select Avid Workgroup Engine Monitor and change the state to
“Offline.”

c Make sure that you change the state to offline for the Avid Workgroup Engine Monitor
resource only, not the entire Avid Workgroup Server group.

d. Close the Cluster Administrator.

6. Locate the database folder on the source server.
The default path is \\virtual_cluster_name\WG_Database$\AvidWG (or AvidAM for an Archive
Manager). By default, the administrative share WG_Database$ refers to
S:\Workgroup_Databases.

n If the S drive is not available on the machine, either this is the offline node or the entire Avid
Workgroup Server group was taken offline instead of only the resource.

7. Pack the database folder into a zip file or use Robocopy from the Microsoft Windows Resource
Kit for path names longer than 256 characters.
To save time and storage, you do not need to copy all the backups in the
S:\Workgroup_Databases\AvidWG\_Backup folder. One complete backup and the most recent
Fast backup are sufficient.
If you are moving a split database, create two zip files, one for
S:\Workgroup_Databases\AvidWG and the other for
\\server_name\\workspace_name\\AvidWG.

n Split databases are no longer recommended. See “Reuniting a Split Database” on page 200.

8. Locate the user folder _InternalData on the source server.

The default path is S:\Workgroup_Databases\_InternalData.

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 Moving a Database Under Low Disk Space Conditions

9. Copy the zipped file and the _InternalData folder to a network server, removable media, laptop,
or directly to the target server.
10. On the target server, rename the existing database folder, for example, rename AvidWG to
AvidWG_old.
11. Open the Interplay Administrator, log on to the target server, and deactivate the database
(AvidWG or AvidAM) using the Manage Databases View.
12. Lock the server using the Lock Server view (see “Locking and Unlocking the Server” on
page 73).
13. Rename the existing _InternalData folder to _InternalData_old.
14. Copy the zipped file to the target server and unzip the file to the Workgroup_Databases folder.
Copy the _InternalData folder to the Workgroup_Databases folder. Make sure the path on the
target server matches the path on the source server.
15. Unlock the server using the Lock Server view.
16. Verify that all users are on the system by opening the User Management view and viewing the
lists of user groups.
17. Activate the database by using the Manage Databases view (see “Activating a Deactivated
Database” on page 54).
18. On an Interplay Access client, log in to the new server and verify that all data is available.
If all data is available, the new database is ready for use.
If necessary, remove the old database from Interplay Access by right-clicking the database name
and then clicking Remove Databases.
19. (Option) On the source server, rename the original database folder to avoid unwanted future
access.
Use the Cluster Administrator to bring the source server back online. Right-click the Avid
Workgroup Server group (not the resource) and select Bring Online.

Moving a Database Under Low Disk Space Conditions

If disk space on the server is critically low, the Interplay Engine refuses client connections and
displays an error message. In this situation, the administrator cannot log in and shut down the server,
and move a database by normal means (as described in “Moving a Database to Another Server (Non-
Clustered Systems)” on page 57 and “Moving a Database and Users to Another Server (Non-
Clustered Systems)” on page 58). In the Server installation directory (by default, C:\Program
Files\Avid\Avid Interplay Engine\Server), there are tools provided to solve such problems:
• NxNServerLock.exe
• NxNServerUnlock.exe
• NxNServerShutdown.exe

c Before beginning this procedure, be sure to make a backup of the database. See “Creating and
Restoring Database Backups” on page 25 for information on running a backup. Temporarily
change the Backup time field to “Once at” and enter or select from the list the time in the
future closest to the current time.

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 Renaming a Database

To move a database under low disk space conditions:

1. Lock the server using NxNServerLock.exe.
2. Shut down the server using NxNServerShutdown.exe, if necessary.
3. Move the database folder (AvidWG or AvidAM) to another drive or free up some disk space.
4. Unlock the server by doing one of the following:
t Use the Interplay Administrator’s Lock Server view (see “Locking and Unlocking the
Server” on page 73).
t Use NxNServerUnlock.exe.
5. Deactivate the moved database using the Manage Databases view (see “Deactivating a Database”
on page 53).
6. Activate the moved database in the correct location using the Manage Databases view (see
“Activating a Deactivated Database” on page 54).

Renaming a Database
Under some circumstances you might need to rename a database For example, if you need to create a
new database with the same name, you can rename the original database. You can keep the original
database as an archive for searching.

c Before beginning this procedure, be sure to make a backup of the database. See “Creating and
Restoring Database Backups” on page 25 for information on running a backup. Temporarily
change the Backup time field to “Once at” and enter or select from the list the time in the
future closest to the current time.

To rename a database:
1. In the Database section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Manage Databases icon.
The Manage Databases view opens.
2. Select the database and click the Deactivate Database button to ensure that the database is not in
use.
3. On the server or at the database location, use the Windows desktop to rename the database
folder, .pro file, and .nif directory, and all files within the _Database folder, that is, replace the
old <DatabaseName> with the new name for all files fitting the following mask:
<DatabaseName>\<DatabaseName>.pro
<DatabaseName>\<DatabaseName>.nif
<DatabaseName>\<DatabaseName>\_*.pro.jrn
<DatabaseName>\_Database\<DatabaseName>.*
<DatabaseName>\_Database\<DatabaseName>_*.jrn
Do not forget to rename the .jrn files correctly: make sure there are no typos in the database
name, and that they are followed by the underscore and the numeric ID.
4. In the Interplay Administrator, click the Manage Databases icon and activate the database (see
“Activating a Deactivated Database” on page 54).

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 Running Database Maintenance Tools

Running Database Maintenance Tools

The Maintenance view in the Database section of the Interplay Administrator provides maintenance
tools that you can use to fix database problems. You can use these tools with Interplay Engine
databases v2.4.0.1 or later, except for the following:
• Validate User Tree, which you can use only with Interplay Engine v2.6 or later
• Validate Special Access Folder, which you can use only with Interplay Engine v3.8 or later.

The tools are not displayed when connected to earlier versions of the Interplay Engine.

In the Maintenance view, these tools are divided into “Cancelable” and “Not Cancelable.” See “When
to run these tools” below for details.

Cancelable
• Verify Link Consistency: Use this tool to detect and remove broken links and link
inconsistencies.
Broken links are objects visible in a database folder that do not refer to an existing asset. They
are displayed with a special X icon and are named with a mob ID (media object ID). They should
be removed because they can cause exceptions during browsing.
Link inconsistencies are not visible. They are obsolete or invalid entries in internal database
tables. A high number might cause slowdowns for certain operations.
• Cleanup Invalid Dependencies: Use this tool to detect and remove dependency inconsistencies.
Dependency inconsistencies are not visible. They are obsolete or invalid entries in internal
database tables. A high number might cause slowdowns for certain operations.
• Remove Duplicated Locators: Use this tool to detect and remove duplicated locators.
Duplicated locators are locators that have the same comment, timestamp, and color as another
locator on the same asset. A high number might cause slowdowns for certain operations. They
were created because of a bug in certain Avid editing products.
• Recover Lost Master Mobs: Use this tool to detect and recover assets without a visible
representation in a folder and display them in the Orphan Clips folder.
Lost master mobs are assets (such as sequences, master clips, and subclips) that are stored in the
database but have no visible representation in a folder.
• Delete Lost File Mobs: Use this tool to detect and remove media file information objects
containing information about a specific media file, like the resolution, site or location, which are
not associated to an asset.
Lost file mobs are media file information objects that are stored in the database but are not
associated to a master clip or rendered effect.
• Validate User Tree (Interplay Engine v2.6 or later): Use this tool to detect and fix inconsistencies
in the user structure.
The AvidWG or AvidAM database contains a copy of the CCS user database. If the internal
structure of this copy contains inconsistencies, then the synchronization of users between the
CCS and the database might fail.
• Validate AssignedRoles Table: Use this tool to check or fix (by removing) invalid entries in the
AssignedRoles table. This table keeps information about user roles that are assigned to database
objects. The tool verifies this table for integrity and fixes entries if needed.

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 Running Database Maintenance Tools

Not Cancelable
• Validate Property Objects: (Interplay Engine v2.7.6 or later, Interplay Engine v3.0.6 or later.)
Use this tool to check for and repair issues with database properties, for example, a
“SettingsNotRegisteredException” exception when applying Editing Settings in the Interplay
Administrator.
• Clean Up Parentless Objects: (Interplay Engine v2.7.6 or later, Interplay Engine v3.0.6 or later.)
Use this tool to check for and repair database objects that do not have a parent anymore. Hints
that such objects exist can sometimes be obtained in the NxNServer.log with ERRORs like “root
object has no parent.” The presence of such objects can cause issues such as incomplete search
results. All objects in the database must have a parent. This is true not only for Avid assets that
are displayed in the browse tree but also for all other objects, such as users and other system
objects.
• Validate Reservations: Use this tool to check all reservations. If the Fix Reservations option is
checked, the tool removes expired and obsolete reservations.
• Validate Free Capacity in Blob Store: Use this tool to fix issues with the blob (Binary Large
Objects) store, a section in the database that stores large properties.
• Validate Special Access Folder: Use this tool to restore access to the Special Access Folders page
in the Manage Database Roles view if the page displays an exception error message. This task
requires Exclusive Access. It is limited to Interplay Engine v3.8 and later.

When to run these tools: You can run any of these tools as part of a troubleshooting procedure, as
recommended by an Avid representative. You can also run them for maintenance during regular
maintenance windows. However, they are not designed to be run on a daily basis, because they
require Exclusive Access to the database (see below).

One approach to using the tools for maintenance is to run them in the first convenient maintenance
window. Note how long it takes to run the tools, and if any problems are reported. If there are no
problems after running the tools a second time, you probably do not need to run them during every
maintenance window. If as a result of running these tools you find an issue that regularly causes
inconsistencies, you must consult with your Avid representative to address the root cause of the issue.

Most tools can take up to an hour to run on large databases, but usually run much quicker, and you
can safely cancel the execution at any time. Each tool includes a window that displays logging
information and options for saving the information.

There are five tools that you cannot cancel after you have started them:
• Validate AssignedRolesTable and Validate Property Objects: Usually run only a few seconds,
regardless of the size of the database.
• Clean Up Parentless Objects: Might run for an hour on a very large database.
• Validate Free Capacity in Blob Store: Takes a few minutes to run on a large database.
• Validate Special Access Folder: Takes a few minutes to run on a large database.

Exclusive Access: Keep in mind that each tool requires Exclusive Access. Exclusive Access locks the
database to prevent access by a host system other than the one used to acquire Exclusive Access and
the Engine itself. A dialog box asks if you want to acquire Exclusive Access before running the
selected tool. You must click Yes to run the tool. Exclusive Access is automatically released at the
end of the process. Consider sending out a notice to users before running any of these tools,
informing them that the database will be locked. Logged-on clients will be automatically logged off
after the database is locked.

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 Running Database Maintenance Tools

Maintenance tools that you run in read-only mode (that is, without checking an option to fix
problems) do not require Exclusive Access. The following tools do not require Exclusive Access in
read-only mode:
• Verify Link Consistency
• Clean Up Invalid Dependencies
• Remove Duplicated Locators
• Recover Lost Master Mobs
• Delete Lost File Mobs
• Validate User Tree
• Validate AssignedRoles Table
• Validate Free Capacity in Blob Store
• Validate Special Access Folders

If a tool requires Exclusive Access, a dialog box is displayed that asks if you want to set Exclusive
Access.

Exclusive Access can be acquired and released in the Lock Server view, independently of the
Maintenance tools (see “Locking and Unlocking the Server” on page 73). In an emergency, such as
the Exclusive Access host crashed and there is no Interplay Administrator installed on the Engine,
you can run a command-line program to release Exclusive Access. The file name of the tool is
NxNServerExclusiveAccessRelease.exe and it is installed by default on the Interplay Engine in
the following folder:

C:\Program Files\Avid\Avid Interplay Engine\Server

n For more maintenance information, see “Interplay Maintenance Recommendations” in the Interplay
Best Practices Guide.

To run a database maintenance tool:

1. In the Database section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Maintenance icon.
The Maintenance view opens.
2. In the left column of the view, select the database on which you want to run the tool.
3. Double-click the icon for the tool you want to use.
4. Select options for the tool as described in the following table:

Tool Options

Verify Link Consistency • Fix broken links. Select this option to delete any broken links. If
you do not select this option, the tool reports broken links and
removes link inconsistencies. but does not take action to fix the
broken links.
• Verbose Output. Select this option to display the location of the
broken links.

Cleanup Invalid Dependencies • Cleanup Invalid Dependencies. Select this option to remove the
invalid dependencies. If you do not select this option, the tool
reports problems without taking action to fix them.

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 Running Database Maintenance Tools

Tool Options

Remove Duplicated Locators • Remove duplicate locators. Select this option to remove the
duplicated locators. If you do not select this option, the tool
reports problems but does not take action to fix them.
• Verbose Output. Select this option to display the names of the
assets with duplicated locators.

Recover Lost Master Mobs • Recover into ‘Orphan Clips’ folder. Select this option to create
links for lost master mobs in to the Orphan Clips folder for
deletion. If you do not select this option, the tool reports problems
but does not take action to fix them.
• Verbose Output. Select this option to display the names of the lost
master mobs.

Delete Lost File Mobs • Delete File Mobs. Select this option to delete lost media
information objects.
• Delete Media. Select this option to delete media associated with
the lost media information objects.
If you do not select these options, the tool reports problems but
does not take action to fix them.

c IfArchive
you run the Delete Lost File Mobs tool on an Interplay
Engine, and select the Delete Media option, media
associated with the lost file mobs will be deleted from the
archive tapes.
• Verbose Output. Select this option to display the media path.

Validate User Tree (Interplay • Fix Invalid Users. Select this option to repair certain
Engine v2.6 or later) inconsistencies in the user structure.
If you do not select this option, the tool reports problems but does
not take action to fix them.
• Verbose Output. Select this option to display user names.

Validate AssignedRoles Table • Remove Invalid Entries. Select this option to remove invalid
entries from the AssignedRoles table.
If you do not select this option, the tool reports problems but does
not take action to fix them.

Validate Property Objects • Fix Property Objects: Use this option to both check for and fix
found issues with property objects. The results dialog displays
how many fixing operations the tool will perform or has
performed.
When this option is not selected, the tool only checks for and
reports broken property objects.

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 Running Database Maintenance Tools

Tool Options

Clean Up Parentless Objects • Clean up parentless objects and move them to the “Lost&Found”
folder. Use this option to both check for and fix parentless objects.
The Interplay Engine either deletes the parentless object (in case it
is not valid or functional anymore) or restores the object to a new
parent folder named “Lost&Found.” This folder is created on the
database's root folder. The results dialog contains information if
objects were recovered (“Restored n parentless objects to the
“Lost&Found” folder).
If the results dialog reports that it restored objects to Lost&Found,
the administrator should run the tool again. It is possible that the
tool will find additional parentless objects through the restored
objects.
When this option is not selected, the tool only checks for and
reports parentless objects.

n In rare cases, the read-only run of the tool reports that it found
parentless objects that should be deleted, but after a clean-up
operation, the results dialog does not report any deleted any
objects. Subsequent read-only runs will continue to report
these objects to be deleted. (Administrators can find entries in
the Engine logs during the clean-up run that report skipped
objects.) This is not a problem. These objects are special
because they do not cause “root object has no parent” issues
but are difficult to delete.

Validate Reservations • Fix Reservations: Use this option to both check all reservations
and remove expired and obsolete reservations.
If you do not select this option, the tool reports problems but does
not take action to fix them.

Validate Free Capacity in Blob • Fix issues in Blob Store: Use this option to both check for and fix
Store issues identified by this maintenance tool.
If you do not select this option, the tool reports problems but does
not take action to fix them.

Validate Special Access Folders • Fix Special Access Folders: Use this option to both check for and
fix found issues with the Special Access Folders view. The results
dialog displays how many fixing operations the tool will perform
or has performed.
If you do not select this option, the tool reports problems but does
not take action to fix them.

5. Click Run.
A dialog box asks if you want to set Exclusive Access to the database.
6. Click Yes.
The tool runs with the options you selected. While the tool is running, information about the
progress and found issues is displayed. When the tool is finished the following options are
displayed:
- Open Log in editor: Opens the displayed information in Notepad or another default text
editor. This version of the runtime information includes specific date and time information.

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 Identifying the Root Folder of the Interplay Server Database

- Copy Log to Clipboard: Copies the information you see displayed to the clipboard.
- Save Log: Saves a version of the displayed information with additional specific date and
time information, like the first option. It uses the following format: tool_name-dd-mm-yyyy-
hh-mm-ss.log
7. Click Close.

Identifying the Root Folder of the Interplay Server

Database
WG_Database$ is a hidden administrative share name and not an actual folder. It represents the root
folder of the database. For example, the default root folder (which is set during installation) is named
D:\Workgroup_Databases (S:\Workgroup_Databases on a cluster system).

To identify the root folder of the database:

1. Log onto the Interplay server (local computer) with an administrative account.
2. Open a Command Prompt by clicking All Programs and selecting Accessories > Command
Prompt.
3. Type the following command at the Windows Command line:
net share
All shares on the system are displayed, along with their paths, as shown in the following
illustration:

Database
root
folder

70
3 Server Settings

The Server settings enable you to configure and change server settings and shutdown and restart the
server. The following topics describe how to use these settings:
• Changing the Database and Data Locations
• Enabling Update Tracking for Media | Index
• Viewing Server Information
• Locking and Unlocking the Server
• Restarting the Server
• Managing Licenses
• Configuring Third-Party Storage

Changing the Database and Data Locations

The Server Settings view lets you change the default locations for a new database.

c Do not change the location for the metadata database. The metadata database must be stored
directly on the local Interplay Engine server because permanent access to these files is
required. This is the only supported setup. Previously, you had the option of storing the source
files for file assets on an Avid shared-storage workspace. This configuration, known as a split
database, is no longer supported. See “Reuniting a Split Database” on page 200.

The root folder for a new database is set during the installation of the Interplay Engine software. By
default, the installation program creates a shared folder that functions as the root folder for both the
metadata database and the source files for file assets (the file repository). The default location is the
D:\Workgroup_Databases folder, which is represented by the administrative share name
WG_Database$. The $ indicates a hidden share.

n To identify the actual folder, open a Command Prompt window and type net share.

If you need to create a new database, changing these settings does not affect any existing databases.

To change the root folders for a new database:

1. In the Server section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Server Settings icon.
The Server Settings view opens.
 Enabling Update Tracking for Media | Index

2. For the root folder of the database (metadata), keep the folder that was set during the installation
of the server (the default is \\IEServer\WG_Database$\).
3. For the root folder of the data (file assets), keep the folder that was set during the installation of
the server, unless you need to change the default configuration. The default is the same as the
root folder of the database.
4. Click Apply Changes to change the setting for new databases.

Enabling Update Tracking for Media | Index

Starting with Interplay Production v3.3, the Server Settings view includes a setting to enable Update
Tracking. This setting is required for Media Index v2.3 or later. It enables the Production Engine Bus
Connector (PEBCo) service to synchronize with Media Index. For details, see the Avid Media | Index
Configuration Guide.

Viewing Server Information

The Server Information view has two areas:
• The Server Information area displays information about the following:
- The version of the Interplay Engine software
- The number of connected clients (through Interplay Access and other client applications)
- The number of databases on the server
• The Connected User Information area displays information about the following:
- Which database users are connected to
- Which user is connected to which database
- Which machine the user is connected from
- What time a user has been connected since
- The license class used
- (Optional) The license type being consumed. To display these licenses, click the Show
Consumed Licenses button.
The license type is different from the license class. The license type is the license that a
customer buys (for example a MediaCentral Base Client license, or KEY-J). The license
class represents the type of connection between a client and the Interplay Engine. For

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 Locking and Unlocking the Server

example, if a user is logged into Interplay from NewsCutter, Access, and Interplay
Administrator at the same time, the license classes listed in the Server Information view are
KEY-EE for the editor, KEY-E for Access, and KEY-A for the Interplay Administrator,
However, only one license type, KEY-XE, is listed as used in the Licenses view.
In most cases, the Licenses view is easier for an administrator to use for managing license
use. For more information, see “License Types and Usage” on page 81.

To view information about the Interplay Engine server:

1. In the Server section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Server Information icon.
The Server Information view opens.
2. (Optional) To view the license types consumed, click the Show Consumed Licenses button.
The following illustration shows the consumed licenses.

To hide the consumed licenses, click the Hide Consumed Licenses button.
3. To retrieve new information from the server, click the Refresh button.

Locking and Unlocking the Server

The Lock Server view allows the administrator to lock the Interplay Engine server for a specific
period of time. Locking the server is useful when carrying out tasks such as:
• Server maintenance or upgrading the server software.
• Maintaining or rebooting the Avid shared-storage server.

n Whenever a database or data location is unavailable, you should lock the database or the server.

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 Locking and Unlocking the Server

The Lock Server view provides two different means of locking the Interplay Engine server: Lock
Server and Exclusive Access.
• If Lock Server is activated, the Interplay Engine server is locked and all the clients that are
connected to it are disconnected.
• If Exclusive Access is activated, the server process continues to run and the database can be
used. Access is limited to the following host systems:
- The host system used to acquire Exclusive Access, that is, the host system running the
Interplay Administrator you used to set Exclusive Access
- The Interplay Engine host, for example, through an Interplay Administrator or Interplay
Access client on the Interplay Engine host system
Exclusive Access is required when running maintenance tools. See “Running Database
Maintenance Tools” on page 65.
In addition to the Interplay Administrator client, any Interplay client running on one of these
hosts (for example, Interplay Access, a Production Services provider, or an Avid editing system)
is allowed to connect to the Interplay Engine and the database. This access allows you to execute
a variety of maintenance tasks from this host while ensuring that no other host can access the
Engine and database.

If the database becomes corrupt, the server might be locked automatically.

The following table summarizes the differences between a server lock, a database lock, and
Exclusive Access:

Feature Description

Server lock Saves and unloads all databases (including _InternalData). Also prevents access
(Lock Server view) by the Interplay Administrator. Should be used for maintenance operations that
require access to all database files (in the share WG_Database$). Usually
shutting down the Interplay Engine is a better approach than a server lock.

Database lock Saves and unloads the database and thus allow maintenance operations on the
(Lock/Unlock database files themselves. Working with the database is not possible. Good for
Database view) database file-level maintenance and restoring backups. Still allows access by
the Interplay Administrator for settings such as user management and licensing.
See “Locking and Unlocking Databases” on page 52.

Exclusive Access Does not unload any database files and therefore allows the owner of the
(Lock Server view) Exclusive Access to work with the database. Good for executing maintenance
operations in the database itself. Cannot be used for any database file
maintenance operations.

To lock the server and prevent any user access:

1. In the Server section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Lock Server icon.
The Lock Server view opens.

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 Locking and Unlocking the Server

2. In the Lock Server section, select one of the following for the locking duration:
- Indefinitely: An indefinite shutdown. This is a good choice when shutting down the server to
carry out any vital maintenance, for example replacing hard drives, or making the first
backup of a new database. The server needs to be manually unlocked after maintenance
work.
- Minutes: Allows you to stipulate when to restart the server (short time frame). It is useful
when you are making routine backups and you know how much time you need. Specify the
time period by clicking the Up and Down arrows.
- Lock until: Allows you to stipulate when to restart the server (longer time frame). Specify
the time period by clicking the Up and Down arrows.
3. In the “Lock comment” text box, type a comment as to why you are locking the server. This
comment is displayed when an Interplay Administrator tries to log into the Interplay Engine.
4. Click Lock Server.
The Lock Server view changes to display lock information. You cannot return to the Interplay
Administrator window by clicking the Menu button. You can log out of the Interplay
Administrator tool and then log in again.

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 Locking and Unlocking the Server

To manually unlock the server after activating Lock Server, do one of the following:
t Log in to the Interplay Administrator, click the Lock Server icon, click Unlock Server and log in
to the Interplay Administrator.
t In emergency situations, run the command-line program NxNServerUnlock.exe. It is installed
by default on the Interplay Engine in the following folder:
C:\Program Files\Avid\Avid Interplay Engine\Server

To lock the server and allow access to the host that acquires the lock:
1. In the Server section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Lock Server icon.
The Lock Server view opens.
2. In the Exclusive Access section, select one of the following for the locking duration:
- Indefinitely: An indefinite shutdown. This is a good choice when shutting down the server to
carry out any vital maintenance, for example replacing hard drives, or making the first
backup of a new database. The server needs to be manually unlocked after maintenance
work.
- Minutes: Allows you to stipulate when to restart the server (short time frame). It is useful
when you are making routine backups and you know how much time you need. Specify the
time period by clicking the Up and Down arrows.
- Lock until: Allows you to stipulate when to restart the server (longer time frame). Specify
the time period by clicking the Up and Down arrows.
3. In the “Lock comment” text box, type a comment as to why you are locking the server. This
comment is displayed when an Interplay Administrator tries to log into the Interplay Engine.
4. Click Exclusive Access.
Exclusive Access Information is displayed. The “Accessible for” field lists the hostnames of the
host that acquired the lock and the Interplay Engine host.

You can return to the Interplay Administrator window by clicking the Menu button, log out of
the Interplay Administrator tool and then log in again, and perform other database tasks.

To manually unlock the server after activating Exclusive Access, do one of the following:
t Log in to the Interplay Administrator from the host where you acquired Exclusive Access or on
the Engine host itself, click the Lock Server icon, then click Release Exclusive Access.
t In emergency situations, run the command-line program
NxNServerExclusiveAccessRelease.exe. It is installed by default on the Interplay Engine
in the following folder:
C:\Program Files\Avid\Avid Interplay Engine\Server

76
 Restarting the Server

Restarting the Server

Restarting the server disconnects any clients and shuts down the database before the server process is
restarted. You rarely need to restart the server. Typically, you restart the server if you want to
disconnect all clients and want to make sure no one is connected to the server so that you can perform
maintenance. For example, you might restart the server and then lock the database as part of the
process of moving the database.

Restarting only restarts the server process and not the server machine itself.

c Depending on the size of the database, this process can take several minutes. Do not attempt to
reboot the server under any circumstances before this process is completed.

To restart the server process:

1. In the Server section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Restart Server icon.
The Restart Server view opens.
2. Click Restart.

Managing Licenses
Interplay needs valid licenses in order to function. Licenses are delivered to the customer in a license
file, which the administrator imports through the Licenses view.

The following topics provide more information about installing and managing licenses:
• “Installing Permanent Licenses” on page 78
• “Displaying the Licenses View” on page 79
• “License Types and Usage” on page 81
• “Exporting a License” on page 85
• “Troubleshooting Licensing Problems” on page 85
• “Using the License Key Info Tool” on page 86

The following terms are used in these topics:

• License: The legal right to use an application. On the Interplay Engine, licenses are represented
by license types.
• License type: A license that applies to a particular application or group of applications. License
types are shown in the Licenses view as KEY-G, KEY-J, and so on.

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 Managing Licenses

• License file: A file with the extension .nxn that contains the license types that were purchased by
the customer.
• Registry key: An organizational unit in the Windows registry. After you import the license file
into the Interplay Engine, the information is stored in a registry key. Sometimes this registry key
is referred to as a “license key.”
• Dongle: A physical device that is attached to a system. Interplay licenses are associated with the
dongle that is attached to the Interplay Engine.
• Software license: Licenses issued for Interplay 3.3 and later use a software license instead of a
dongle.

Installing Permanent Licenses

If you are installing the Interplay Engine on a new system, temporary licenses are activated
automatically so that you can administer and install the system. There is no time limit for these
licenses. If you are performing an upgrade, the currently installed licenses are used.

Starting with Interplay Production v3.3, new licenses for Interplay components are managed through
software activation IDs. In previous versions, licenses were managed through hardware application
keys (dongles). Dongles continue to be supported for existing licenses, but new licenses require
software licensing.

A set of permanent licenses is provided by Avid in one of two ways:

• As a software license, with a System ID and an Activation ID.
For a clustered engine, Avid supplies a single license that should be used for both nodes in the
cluster. If you are licensing a clustered engine, follow the published procedure to activate the
license on each node of the cluster, using the same System ID and Activation ID for each node.
• As a file with the extension .nxn on a USB flash drive or another delivery mechanism.
These permanent licenses must match the Hardware ID of the Interplay Engine. After
installation, the license information is stored in a Windows registry key.

n Hardware application keys for an Interplay Engine failover cluster are associated with two
Hardware IDs.

If a customer purchases additional licenses, the licenses are delivered in an additional license file.
After installation, new licenses are added to the existing licenses and are stored in an additional
registry key.

To install a permanent license through software licensing:

t Use the Avid License Control application or Avid Application Manager (for Interplay Engine
v3.8 and later).
See “Software Licensing for Interplay Production” in the Interplay | Production Software
Installation and Configuration Guide.

To install a permanent license by using a dongle:

1. Start and log in to the Interplay Administrator.
2. Make a folder for the license file on the root directory (C:\) of the Interplay Engine server or
another server. For example:
C:\Interplay_Licenses

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 Managing Licenses

3. If the licenses were delivered on a USB flash drive, insert the drive into any USB port.

n You can access the license file from the USB flash drive. The advantage of copying the license file to
a server is that you have easy access to installer files if you should ever need them in the future.

If the USB flash drive does not automatically display:

a. Double-click the computer icon on the desktop.
b. Double-click the USB flash drive icon to open it.
4. Copy the license file (*.nxn) into the new folder you created.
5. In the Server section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Licenses icon.
6. Click the Import license button.
7. Browse for the *.nxn file.
8. Select the file and click Open.
You see information about the permanent license in the License Types area. The license
information is stored in a registry key. (See “Troubleshooting Licensing Problems” on page 85.)

Displaying the Licenses View

To view information about your licenses:
t In the Server section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Licenses icon.
The Licenses view opens. The contents of the Licenses view depend on the type of license:
software or hardware (dongle).

The following illustration shows the Summary tab of the software license view.

• Use the Refresh button to update the information in the view, such as changes made by another
instance of the Interplay Administrator.
• Use the Refresh Engine button to update changes to licenses you have made using the Avid
License Control tool or Avid Application Manager (for Interplay Engine v3.8 and later).
Clicking this button gives you the same result as restarting the Interplay Engine.

The following illustration shows the Summary tab of the dongle-managed view.

79
 Managing Licenses

For the dongle-managed view, the Licenses view has four sections:
• The License Types section displays information about the following:
- Your current license types (see “License Types and Usage” on page 81).
- Number of license types available.
- Number of license types used.
- Time Limit (days): The total days included in the license. Interplay licenses are usually not
time limited, so in most cases the value for a license type is “Unlimited.” Only one time limit
is stored for each license type.
- Days Remaining: The number of days until expiration of a time-limited license. Interplay
licenses are usually not time limited, so in most cases the value for a license type is “0.”
Only one value for the days remaining is stored for each license type.
• The Server Information section displays information about the following:
- Customer ID. The customer name or ID number.
- Hardware ID, which matches the physical application key (dongle). The Hardware ID is
required to obtain technical support.

n The items Number of Databases, License Mode, and Lock Timeout are not applicable to current
licensing.
• Import License File section: For information about importing a license file, see “Installing
Permanent Licenses” on page 78.
• Export License File section: For information about exporting a license file, see “Exporting a
License” on page 85.

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 Managing Licenses

Starting with Interplay Production v3.6, the Details tab includes the following information:
• License Type
• Connected From
• User Name
• Connected Since

License Types and Usage

Customers can currently buy three types of client licenses:
• MediaCentral Base license
• MediaCentral Advance license
• Media Composer Cloud license

The names of the first two licenses include MediaCentral, but the licenses themselves are used for all
Interplay client applications, except for Media Composer Cloud. For example, a user on one
workstation can work with all of the following applications concurrently and use only one
MediaCentral Base license:
• Digidesign™ Pro Tools®Integration
• Interplay Access
• Interplay Assist
• MediaCentral (access to iNEWS only or Interplay Production only)
• Media Composer or NewsCutter

Prior to version 2.7, customers purchased licenses for individual applications. These legacy licenses
are still supported, as described later in this topic.

n Interplay Engine patch release 2.7.0.2 added support for the Central Base license (KEY-J) and
Central Advance license (KEY-G) to be used as universal license types. This change allows these
licenses to be used for both legacy and MediaCentral client connections.

Customers can also buy the following licenses:

• Interplay Production Engine
• Interplay Archive Engine
• Third-Party AMA Storage

Supported License Types

The following table describes the license types used for Interplay Production v2.7.0.2 and later, how
they are displayed in the Interplay Administrator Licenses view, and which applications they license.

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 Managing Licenses

License Types Currently Used for Interplay Production

License Type Key Application or Product

Central Base Client KEY-J • Digidesign™ Pro Tools®Integration

• Interplay Access
• Interplay Assist
• MediaCentral, access to iNEWS only or Interplay
Production only.
• Media Composer, NewsCutter

Central Advance Client KEY-G Above products plus

• Avid Instinct
• MediaCentral, with access to Interplay Production and
iNEWS in the same browser plus all features

Media Composer Cloud KEY-LI Media Composer Cloud

Client
A Media Composer Cloud client also requires a Media
Composer client license. The Media Composer license is
included in the client count, but the Media Composer Cloud
license is not included (not counted).

Interplay Archive Engine KEY-AM Interplay Archive Engine. This key is visible only when the
Interplay Administrator is logged onto the Archive Engine.

Interplay Streaming Server KEY-C Interplay Streaming Server

Third-party Storage KEY-CI Third-party storage for AMA material.

How Licenses Are Shared

A client workstation, through its IP address, can use a single license to run more than one Avid client
application concurrently. For example, a user can run both Media Composer and Interplay Access
while using a single MediaCentral license (Base or Advance). The Interplay Engine manages access
through the hostname of the workstation.

The license is not released from the client workstation until all applications that require a license are
closed.

n To run MediaCentral and other applications concurrently with a single license, the client
workstation must be connected to the same LAN as the MediaCentral server. The client workstation
must have a correct DNS entry and the MediaCentral server must be configured to resolve the client
workstation’s hostname.

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 Managing Licenses

The Interplay Engine uses “smart licensing” to manage Base and Advance licenses to allow optimum
usage of free licenses. It assigns an Advance license to a Base client if a Base license is not available.
It switches the assignment if an Advance client needs a license and a Base license becomes available.
For example:
1. Client 1 requires a Base license, and is assigned the last free Base license. Client workstation 2
requires a Base license, but only an Advance license is available. Workstation 2 is assigned an
Advance license.
2. Client workstation 1 logs out from the application, and a Base license is freed.
3. Client workstation 3 requires an Advance license, but only a Base license is available.
Workstation 2’s license is switched to a Base license and workstation 3 is assigned an Advance
license.

The following figure illustrates this example.

q w
q e
Clients 1 and 2 logged in Client 1 logs out, Base license free Client 3 logs in

Client 1 KEY-J Client 1 KEY-J Client 1 KEY-J

Base Base Base Base Base Base

Client 2 KEY-G Client 2 KEY-G Client 2 KEY-G

Base Advance Base Advance Base Advance

Client 3 Client 3 Client 3

Advance Advance Advance

License Types Previously Used for Interplay Production Applications

Prior to Interplay version 2.7, customers purchased licenses for individual products. The following
table lists how these legacy licenses relate to current license types, how they are displayed in the
Interplay Administrator Licenses view, and which applications they license.

License Types Previously Used for Interplay Production Applications

License Type Key Application or Product

Base License KEY-X Interplay Access

Base License KEY-XA Media Composer Cloud

Base License KEY-XE Avid Editing Applications

Base License KEY-XL Interplay Assist

Base License KEY-XP Digidesign™ Pro Tools®Integration

Advance License KEY-XI Avid Instinct

Interplay version 2.7 and later continues to support these licenses.

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 Managing Licenses

n Interplay Engine patch release 2.7.0.2 added support for the Central Base (KEY-J) and Central
Advance (KEY-G) to be used as universal license types. This change allows these licenses to be used
for both legacy and MediaCentral client connections.

The following illustration compares a set of legacy license types, a set of current license types, and a
mix of the two. In all cases the number of client licenses available is 140.

Legacy license types

Current license types

Current license types and legacy license types

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 Managing Licenses

If a facility is using a mix of legacy licenses and current licenses, the Interplay Engine first looks for
an appropriate legacy license. If none are available, it looks for an appropriate current license. For
example:
1. An Assist client logs on. The Interplay Engine looks for an Assist license (KEY-XL)
2. If it does not find one available, it looks for a Base license (KEY-J).
3. If it does not find one available, it looks for an Advance license (KEY-G)

If a facility is using only legacy licenses, Interplay Engine v2.7.0.2 and later manages licenses in the
same way that it did before v2.7.0.2. One client license can apply to multiple applications on a client
workstation. For example, if you have an editing application running, no additional license is needed
to run Access at the same time:
• If you start the Avid editing application first, KEY-XE is assigned. If you then start Interplay
Access, KEY-XE covers use of Interplay Access on the same machine.
• If you start Interplay Access first, KEY-X is assigned. If you then start the editing application,
KEY-X is released and KEY-XE is used instead.

Exporting a License
You might need to export your license information for support purposes (dongle-managed licenses
only)

n Export functionality is intended for Avid support purposes. You might not be able to reimport an
exported license.

To export your license to a file:

1. Click the Export license button in the Licenses view.
2. Type or browse to a .nxn file name.
3. Select Save.

Troubleshooting Licensing Problems

If you previously attached one application key (dongle) on an Interplay Engine system and loaded the
registration file for that dongle, and then attach a different dongle and try to load a new registration
file, the registration file will not load. You need to delete the Windows registry key for the dongle.

To delete the registry key for a dongle:

1. Click Start, then click Run.
2. In the Open text box, type regedit and click OK.
The Registry Editor view opens.
3. Locate the registry key for the original dongle, found here:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Avid Technology\Workgroup\Avid Workgroup
Server\FeatureKeys\Permanent
4. Delete the Permanent folder.
5. Close the Registry Editor window.
6. Reload the new registration file as described in “Installing Permanent Licenses” on page 78.

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 Configuring Third-Party Storage

Using the License Key Info Tool

You can use the LicenseKeyInfo tool to display and print out the license information for an Interplay
Engine or Interplay Archive Engine. This tool is primarily a support tool. It is useful when you have
only a license file available (and not a server), or you want to know the enabled features of a license
without installing it.

To examine the license key information for an Interplay Engine:

1. Navigate to the following folder:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Avid\Avid Interplay Engine\Server
2. Double-click LicenseKeyInfo.exe
The Interplay License Info dialog box opens.
3. Click Get License Info.
4. Select the License file and click OK.
The system displays the license info.
5. (Option) Click Save License Info or Print License Info and follow the on-screen instructions.

Configuring Third-Party Storage

This view is used to configure storage manufactured by companies other than Avid. It is used
primarily in AMA workflows. For more information, see “Using AMA Material in Interplay” in the
Interplay | Production Best Practices Guide.

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4 User Management

An administrator controls access to Interplay through user accounts and user roles. The following
topics provide information about how to manage user accounts and access to the database:
• Understanding the Central Configuration Server
• Adding Users to a Central Configuration Server
• Setting User Authentication Providers and Importing Users
• Managing Users, User Groups, and User Rights
• Managing Database Roles
• Guidelines for User Management

For specific examples of how to manage user roles, see “Setting Up a Folder Structure and a User
Database” in the Interplay Best Practices.

Understanding the Central Configuration Server

The Central Configuration Server (CCS) is an Interplay Engine with a special module that is useful if
you are working in an environment that includes more than one Interplay Engine (including an
Interplay Archive Engine). The CCS uses this module to store information that is common to all
other Interplay Engines. Cross-database management of administrative tasks is possible because all
of the Interplay Engines under the CCS inherit its settings by default. A Central Configuration Server
is especially useful for user management tasks.

You set a CCS whenever you install an Interplay Engine. At that time, you can set the CCS as the
server on which you are installing, or you can specify a previously installed Interplay Engine,
including an Interplay Archive Engine. The Interplay Engine acts as the CCS as soon as it is started
after the installation. Each Interplay Engine must be associated with a CCS. An Interplay Engine can
be its own CCS.

Depending on the number of Interplay Engines that are installed, several CCS configurations are
possible:
• One Interplay Engine: Configure this server as the CCS.
• Several Interplay Engines: Usually you configure only one Interplay Engine as the CCS. The use
of more than one CCS in a company might be useful if there are several independent domains,
departments, or sites where there is no need to share users or other settings in Interplay. In the
case where several sites are located in different locations, having one CCS for each site could
be practical.

c Starting with Interplay V3.0, a CCS that is created on an Interplay V3.0 Engine does not
support Interplay Engines earlier than v3.0. A CCS on an Interplay Engine earlier than v3.0
supports an Interplay V3.0 Engine.
 Understanding the Central Configuration Server

If necessary, you can use the Central Configuration Server view to change the CCS that you set
during the Interplay Engine installation.

c Do not reset the CCS unless there is real need to do so, such as a space issue. All the
information that was stored on the old CCS, including users and local administration settings,
is lost when the CCS is changed to another server unless you first move the _InternalData
folder to the server that will be used as the new CCS. If you do not or cannot move the
_InternalData folder to the new CCS, and you set the new CCS for the database, you must
migrate the database through the Manage Databases view. In this case, all previous CCS-
related information will be lost.

The following procedures describe how to change the CCS:

• “Moving the CCS to Another Server” on page 88
• “Viewing and Changing the CCS for a Server” on page 89.

Specifying an incorrect CCS can prevent login. See “Troubleshooting Login Problems” on page 194.

Moving the CCS to Another Server

c Before beginning the following procedure, be sure to make a backup of the database. See
“Creating and Restoring Database Backups” on page 25 for information on running a backup.
You can use the Start Backup Now feature to start a backup immediately. You can use the Start
CCS (_InternalData) Backup Now feature to back up the CCS database.

The following procedure is based on these assumptions:

• Server A is the CCS.
• You want to keep the CCS settings and user information that exist on server A, but move them to
server B.
• You do not want to keep the original CCS information that exists server B.

c Server B should be created by a clean installation and should serve as its own CCS. No other
database should point to Server B as a CCS, because any existing user data on Server B will be
lost.

To move a CCS to another server:

1. Back up the database. See “Creating and Restoring Database Backups” on page 25.
2. Make sure that the Interplay Engine on both servers is the same version. See “Viewing Server
Information” on page 72.
3. Start Interplay Administrator and log in to server A (which is the current CCS).
4. Lock server A. See “Locking and Unlocking the Server” on page 73.
5. In Interplay Administrator, log out of server A.
6. Log in to server B.
7. Lock server B.
8. Log out of server B.
9. Use Windows Explorer to delete the _InternalData folder on server B.

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 Understanding the Central Configuration Server

The folder is located by default in \\IEServer\WG_Database$ (usually

D:\Workgroup_Databases\). See “Identifying the Root Folder of the Interplay Server Database”
on page 70.
10. Copy the _InternalData folder from server A to the default database location of server B.
11. In Interplay Administrator, log in to server A, unlock the server, and log out.
12. Log in to server B and unlock the server.
13. Make sure the CCS for server B is set as server B itself. If necessary, complete “Viewing and
Changing the CCS for a Server” on page 89.
14. Log out of server B.
15. On server A, change the CCS for server A to server B using “Viewing and Changing the CCS for
a Server” on page 89.

Viewing and Changing the CCS for a Server

c Before beginning the following procedure, be sure to make a backup of the database. See
“Creating and Restoring Database Backups” on page 25 for information on running a backup.
You can use the Start Backup Now feature to start a backup immediately. You can use the Start
CCS (_InternalData) Backup Now feature to back up the CCS database.

The following procedure is based on these assumptions:

• Server A is the CCS.
• You want server B to be the CCS for server A. You want to use the settings and user information
that exists on server B.
• You do not want to keep the CCS information that exists on server A.

To change the CCS for a server:

1. Back up the database. See “Creating and Restoring Database Backups” on page 25.
2. Make sure that server A and server B are the same version, otherwise the CCS does not reset. See
“Viewing Server Information” on page 72.
3. Start the Interplay Administrator on server A, and log in to Server A.
4. In the User Management section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Central
Configuration Server icon.
The Central Configuration Server view opens.

5. Use the arrow in the Central Configuration Server list to select server B to use as the CCS.

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 Adding Users to a Central Configuration Server

A warning appears explaining the consequences if you have not followed the procedure “Moving
the CCS to Another Server” on page 88 and moved the _InternalData folder to server B.
Moving the _InternalData folder is usually recommended. If you do not, all users and local
administration settings are lost.

6. Do one of the following:

t To keep the original CCS, click Cancel.
t To change to a new CCS, click Change CCS.
7. If you have not moved the original CCS server (see “Moving the CCS to Another Server” on
page 88), you need to migrate the database to the new CCS and all of your CCS-related data
(such as users and local administration) are lost. Unmigrated databases should not be used;
databases should always be migrated to a CCS. Unmigrated databases cannot be administered.
For more information, see “Migrating a Database” on page 55.

Adding Users to a Central Configuration Server

There are several ways to add users to a Central Configuration Server:
• Automatically adding Avid Unity (shared-storage) users. These users are added to the CCS the
first time they log in. They log in using their Avid Unity username and password. For more
information, see “Setting Avid ISIS Authentication” on page 94.
• Importing users from a Windows domain or LDAP directory. You need to use the User
Authentication Providers view to import these users. They log in using their Windows or LDAP
username and password. For more information, see “Setting Windows Domain Authentication
and Importing Users” on page 95 and “Setting LDAP Authentication and Importing Users” on
page 97.
• Individually creating users. You need to use the User Management view to create individual
users. They log in using the username and password that you set. For more information, see
“Adding Users Manually” on page 109.

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 Setting User Authentication Providers and Importing Users

Passwords for Interplay Production users who are authenticated using these providers are passed to
the authentication provider, so limitations of the authentication provider apply.

Setting User Authentication Providers and Importing

Users
The User Authentication Providers view lets you set the type of authentication users need to provide
when logging in to Interplay. You can select one or more of the following authentication providers:
• MediaCentral Platform
• Avid Unity
• Windows Domain
• LDAP

Selecting these providers lets users log in without requiring them to use an additional username and
password for Interplay. You still have the option of creating individual users specifically for Interplay
(see “Adding Users Manually” on page 109).

The User Authentication Providers view lets you import users from a Windows domain or an LDAP
server. You do not explicitly import Avid shared-storage or MediaCentral users; they are imported at
the time they log in.

Information from this view is saved in the CCS (see “Understanding the Central Configuration
Server” on page 87).

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 Setting User Authentication Providers and Importing Users

n All special characters are allowed in user names except for \ (backslash), / (forward slash),
| (vertical bar), and quotes (" and '). When LDAP and Windows Domain users are imported, these
characters are replaced with “_”. If two users have different user names that are mapped to the same
converted name (for example, dann/o and dann\o become dann_o), only one converted user name is
imported. These users currently cannot be authorized through LDAP or Windows Domain; they can
only be imported.

The users are added to the Imported Users folder in the User Management page, under the respective
subfolder for MediaCentral, LDAP, Microsoft, or Avid Unity. Users are also added to the Everyone
folder. The following illustration shows these subfolders with the LDAP folder selected.

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 Setting User Authentication Providers and Importing Users

These types of user authentication and how users are imported are described in the following topics:
• “Setting MediaCentral Platform Authentication and Importing Users” on page 93
• “Setting Avid ISIS Authentication” on page 94
• “Setting Windows Domain Authentication and Importing Users” on page 95
• “Setting LDAP Authentication and Importing Users” on page 97

Setting MediaCentral Platform Authentication and Importing Users

Starting with Interplay Production v3.7, an administrator can select MediaCentral Platform as an
authentication provider. Starting with Interplay Production v3.8, an administrator can select more
than one MediaCentral Platform system.

c This authentication method can only be used with services and applications (for example,
Connectivity Toolkit - Media Suite) and cannot be used for interactive user login for Interplay
Access or Interplay Administrator.

c Configuring more than one MediaCentral Platform system as an authentication method should
only be used for test deployments. This configuration is not recommended for production use.
A production system uses one specified MediaCentral Platform for the Playback Service,
Messaging, Bus URL (in the MediaCentral Platform Services Settings view), and PEBCo (in
the Production Engine Bus Connector view).

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 Setting User Authentication Providers and Importing Users

There is no import of users when you enable MediaCentral Platform authentication. Instead, the first
time a MediaCentral Platform user logs into Interplay Production (through a service or application),
the user is added to the CCS as part of the MEDIACENTRAL user group, with Read rights by
default. If the user is already in the Interplay user database, the user is added to the
MEDIACENTRAL group and retains their existing group placement and role.

To enable MediaCentral Platform authentication:

1. In the User Management section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the User
Authentication Providers icon.
2. Select the MediaCentral Platform Authentication option.
3. Type the MediaCentral Platform Services (MCS) server name, which the Interplay Production
CCS will cross-check for authentication.
For a cluster, use the virtual MCS server name. The Interplay Administrator software
automatically adds https:// to the server name. The server name does not need to be a fully
qualified domain name unless required in your network configuration.

4. To add another MCS server, click Add Server and type the MCS server name.
5. Click Apply.
Interplay creates a new user group and subfolder called MEDIACENTRAL under Imported
Users in the User Management view.

Setting Avid ISIS Authentication

If you select the Avid ISIS Authentication option, a user can log in to the Interplay database using a
valid Avid ISIS or Avid NEXIS password. The authentication mechanism always checks this User
Authentication Provider first.

This method of authorization is implicit. In other words, there is no active import of users at the time
the Avid ISIS Authentication is enabled. Instead, the first time that an Avid ISIS user logs in to
Interplay, the user is added to the UNITY user group subfolder. By default, this user group has
Read rights.

If your workgroup includes multiple ISIS systems, you need to specify each additional ISIS server
name. Users can then use their Avid ISIS credentials to log in to the Interplay database and access
any additional ISIS servers to which they have access. For more information, see the Interplay
Software Installation and Configuration Guide.

n If you list ISIS server names for Unity authentication, the servers that you specify determine which
workspaces are available in the Media Creation Workspace setting. This occurs whether or not ISIS
user authentication is activated. See “Application Database Settings: Editing Settings Tab” on
page 172.

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 Setting User Authentication Providers and Importing Users

To enable Avid ISIS authentication:

1. In the User Management section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the User
Authentication Providers icon.
The User Authentication Providers view opens.
2. Click Avid ISIS Configuration Settings.
3. Type the server name with which the CCS should cross-check for authentication.
Click the Remove Entry button to delete a hostname.
The name that you type depends on the configuration of the ISIS system.
- For a configuration with a single System Director, type the System Director hostname that is
set in the ISIS Control Panel in the System Director.
- For a configuration with two System Directors (dual System Director configuration), type
the Virtual System Director hostname that is set in the Control Panel for both System
Directors. The Virtual System Director Name represents the two virtual IP addresses that
you also set in the ISIS Control Panel.
The name you type must match the ISIS name that appears in the ISIS Client Manager that is
running on the Interplay Engine. For more information, see the Setup Guide for your ISIS
system.
In a multiple ISIS workgroup, type the name of the local System Director.
4. In a multiple ISIS workgroup, click the Add Avid ISIS button and type the name of the System
Director for the additional Avid ISIS systems.
5. Click Apply.
The first time an Avid ISIS user logs into Interplay, the user is added to the CCS as part of the
UNITY user group under Imported Users, with Read rights by default.

To reassign an Avid ISIS user’s Interplay rights:

t Move the user to a different user group later if you want to give the user a different role.
For more information, see “Managing Database Roles” on page 114.

Setting Windows Domain Authentication and Importing Users

If you activate Windows Domain authentication, a user is able to log in to an Interplay database with
a Windows domain user name and password. Any time a user tries to access an Interplay database,
the CCS (Central Configuration Server) can use the Windows login information to authenticate the
user and in turn to check which databases the user can access.

To use this feature, the Interplay Engine Server Execution User must be a member of the domain
from which you import users and against which you want to authenticate users. If the user is logged
in to a supported Windows machine, and logged into the same domain as the Interplay Engine, the
user can log in using the domain user name and password.

An administrator needs to assign suitable roles to the imported users before they can access the
database. By default, imported users do not have access rights to the database, which will cause a
login to fail even if a user is properly authenticated by the domain. In this case, the following error
message is displayed:

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 Setting User Authentication Providers and Importing Users

Note also that for Interplay to import users from an Active Directory, these users must be placed in
groups. Interplay does not support importing of single users. To facilitate administration, Avid
recommends that you align the Interplay group structure with the Active Directory group structure.

Starting with Interplay Engine v3.8, a user who is a member of an Active Directory group, but who is
not yet an Interplay Production user, will be automatically imported and authenticated if the user’s
group is already imported into Interplay Production. See “Automatically Importing Individual Users
through Windows Domain and LDAP Authentication” on page 105.

n Some large organizations might use a hierarchical domain structure called a “forest root domain.”
For example, an organization with a domain named “company.com” might choose to place its
Interplay production system in a sub-domain named “avid.company.com.” In Windows, users from
different parts of this organization can be managed in groups (for example, a “Universal Group”)
and can be authenticated across the entire forest. Interplay domain authentication does not support
this structure. If you select a domain for authentication, users from other forest domains will be
stripped from the group during the import process.

If necessary, you can combine Windows domain authentication of one domain with LDAP
authentication of another domain. See “Authentication from an Active Directory that Includes
Multiple Domains” on page 103.

n Roaming profiles are not supported in an Interplay environment.

To enable Windows domain authentication:

1. In the User Management section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the User
Authentication Providers icon.
The User Authentication Providers view opens.
2. Select the Windows Domain Authentication option.

3. Click Import Windows Domain Users.

The Import User Groups dialog box opens.
4. Do one of the following:
t Select the user groups you want to import into the Interplay system.
t Click Select All to import all the user groups into the Interplay system.
5. Click OK.

n Depending on the size and complexity of the import, the import operation might prevent users from
logging on, browsing, checking in, or doing on work on the server

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 Setting User Authentication Providers and Importing Users

Upon import, Interplay creates a new user group and subfolder called MICROSOFT under
Imported Users in the User Management view. It imports all the users authenticated on the
Windows domain that are not currently in the Interplay user database. These users are imported
to the MICROSOFT group and have the default role of No Access. Users can then be moved to
different groups to gain a new user role. See “Managing Database Roles” on page 114.
Users that are already in the Interplay user database during a Windows Domain User import are
added to the MICROSOFT group again but retain the group placement and role they already had.

Setting LDAP Authentication and Importing Users

If you select the LDAP Authentication option, a user can log in to Interplay databases with an LDAP
user name and password. Interplay supports LDAP Version 2 and LDAP Version 3.

To properly configure LDAP authentication, you must know the schema of the LDAP database. Two
common schemas are
• Microsoft Active Directory LDAP implementation
• A freely available LDAP service such as OpenLDAP

The configuration you specify depends on the LDAP schema against which you are authenticating.
The following illustration shows some differences between an Active Directory LDAP and
OpenLDAP.

Active Directory LDAP OpenLDAP

n Details on the LDAP schema objects can be found in RFC1274, “The Cosine and Internet X.500
Schema.”

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 Setting User Authentication Providers and Importing Users

If an Active Directory is made up of multiple OUs (organizational units) in multiple domains, you
can select a specific OU or multiple OUs for user authentication. See “Authentication from an Active
Directory that Includes Multiple Domains” on page 103.

Starting with Interplay Production v3.7, you can import user groups from an Active Directory user
database. You can specify a search root for groups, using the setting “Group Search Root DN.”

Starting with Interplay Engine v3.8, a user who is a member of an Active Directory group, but who is
not yet an Interplay Production user, will be automatically imported and authenticated if the user’s
group is already imported into Interplay Production. See “Automatically Importing Individual Users
through Windows Domain and LDAP Authentication” on page 105.

n OpenLDAP and other LDAP implementations are not supported for importing user groups.

n When importing users from a Microsoft LDAP implementation, you should select no more than 5,000
users at one time. This is Microsoft's recommended limit of operations per LDAP transaction. If you
attempt to import more than 5,000 users, the process might time-out and the import would fail to
complete. To avoid this problem, import users in groups of 5,000 or fewer. For more information, see
the following link: .https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc756101.aspx#BKMK_LDAP. Other
LDAP implementations might have different limits; if necessary check with the LDAP vendor.

To import LDAP users and enable LDAP authentication:

1. In the User Management section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the User
Authentication Providers icon.
The User Authentication Providers view opens.
2. Select the LDAP Authentication option.
3. Type information in the edit fields to specify the LDAP settings you want to use for import and
authentication.
The settings are described in “LDAP Server Configuration Settings” on page 99.
4. Click Apply.
5. Click Import LDAP Users.

A warning message tells you that during an import other users will not be able to work with this
server.
6. Click OK.
If you are importing through an Active Directory implementation, the Import User Groups dialog
box opens. Do one of the following:
- Select the user groups you want to import into the Interplay system.
- Click Select All to import all the user groups into the Interplay system.
Click OK.
The import process begins.

n Depending on the size and complexity of the import, the import operation might prevent users from
logging on, browsing, checking in, or doing on work on the server

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Interplay creates a new user group and subfolder called LDAP under Imported Users and imports
all the users from the LDAP server that match the filter criteria in the LDAP configuration, and
are not currently available in the Interplay user database. These users are imported to the LDAP
group and have the default role of No Access. Users can then be moved to different groups to
gain a new user role. See “Managing Database Roles” on page 114.
Users that are already in the Interplay user database during an LDAP User import are added to
the LDAP group again but retain the additional group placement and role they already have.

LDAP Server Configuration Settings

The following table describes the LDAP server settings that are needed for authentication and import.

Setting Description

LDAP Server IP address of the LDAP server.

LDAP Port Port for the LDAP service. For Standard LDAP, accept the default port
389. For Active Directory Global Catalog LDAP, specify port 3268. For
LDAP enabled over SSL (LDAPS), specify port 636

Use SSL Select this option if the LDAP uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)
technology.

n Secured LDAP requires an X.509 certificate infrastructure. For

more information, see the Microsoft article “How to enable LDAP
over SSL with a third-party certification authority.”

User DN for Searches User DN for a user who has the right to query the directory. This DN will
be used for logging on to the LDAP directory and performing a search for
importable objects after you click the Import LDAP Users button.

Password for Searches Password for a user who has the right to query the directory. This
password will be used for logging on to the LDAP directory after you
click the Import LDAP Users button.

Search Root DN DN root for searches in the LDAP database. This DN specifies the search
root that will be used after you click the Import LDAP Users button. This
DN typically points to the branch of the LDAP tree where the user objects
are located. Typical examples are
“CN=queryuser,CN=Users,DC=company,DC=com” for Windows Active
Directory LDAP, or “CN=queryuser,DC=company,DC=com” for
OpenLDAP.
For an example of importing users from an Active Directory structure
with multiple domains, see “Authentication from an Active Directory that
Includes Multiple Domains” on page 103.

Group Search Root DN DN root for group searches in the LDAP database (Interplay
Administrator v3.7 and later). This DN specifies the search root that will
be used after you click the Import LDAP Users button. This DN enables
an administrator to specify a root for group authentication in case some
groups are located in a parallel structure.

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Setting Description

User Object Class Object class attribute of a User. This value will be used as a search filter
after you click the Import LDAP Users button. Interplay will perform an
ldap_search request on the directory, and all returned objects that match
User Object Class will be imported. A typical setting for Microsoft AD
LDAP would be organizationalPerson. For OpenLDAP, a typical object
class would be simpleSecurityObject.

User Name Attribute The attribute that becomes the imported user name in Interplay. This
name is displayed in the user tree and is used for logging in to Interplay.
The standard LDAP attribute is “cn” but an administrator can use other
attributes, such as “displayName” or “mailNickname” for a shortened
user name. The user import process automatically imports the attribute
used in this field as well as the “cn” attribute. When the user logs in, the
LDAP authentication process uses the “cn” attribute.
Note the following:
• If an Interplay user with the name specified by “User Name Attribute”
does not exist yet in Interplay, a new user is created. This can happen
if an LDAP user was originally imported through a different attribute,
for example, originally imported through “cn” and now imported
through “displayName.”
• If an Interplay user with the name specified by “User Name Attribute”
already exists, but was imported by an Interplay Engine earlier than
v3.2, the existing Interplay user is updated to enable a correct LDAP
authentication (through import of the “cn” attribute).

User DN Suffix Suffix that must be appended to the user name to form a valid
Distinguished User Name (DN). The resulting DN will be used whenever
a user tries to authenticate through LDAP: Interplay will issue a simple
ldap_bind request to the directory service, using a DN constructed
according to the rule given above, and the clear text password as given by
the user.
For example, if the user name specified during login is “journalist” and
the User DN Suffix is “CN=Users,DC=company,DC=com,” Interplay will
try to bind to the LDAP service using a DN of
“CN=journalist,CN=Users,DC=company,DC=com.” Access will be
granted if the bind request is allowed by the LDAP service.
For an example of authenticating users from an Active Directory structure
with multiple domains, see “Authentication from an Active Directory that
Includes Multiple Domains” on page 103.
Starting with Interplay Engine v3.6.1, a workgroup configured for LDAP
user authentication can be configured to use the format user@domain as a
user name. If the LDAP server is a Microsoft Active Directory, an
administrator can enter “@domain” in the “User DN Suffix” field. This
entry switches the Interplay Engine into “AD authentication over LDAP”
mode: the Interplay Engine will bind to the LDAP server using as a user
name the Interplay user name and configured suffix, for example
“[email protected].” This is a possible solution if you want to
import users from more than one OU.

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Setting Description

Active Directory Group The name of an Active Directory group whose users you want to import.
The LDAP attribute that contains the group name must be “memberOf,”
as displayed in the Active Directory LDAP interface. You must be
connected to an Interplay Engine v3.2 or later. Only Active Directory
groups are supported.

The following illustration shows an example of settings for import from a specific OU in an Active
Directory LDAP implementation.

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The following illustration shows example settings for global import, which could include multiple
OUs. Note that the search root and group search root are specified at the highest level.

The following illustration shows an example of settings for an OpenLDAP implementation.

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Authentication from an Active Directory that Includes Multiple Domains

An organization might have an Active Directory that includes several domains. Depending on the
requirements of the organization, you can import and authenticate users in the following ways:
• Authenticate users from a single LDAP domain
• Authenticate users from a single OU (organizational unit)
Starting with Interplay Administrator v3.6.1, an administrator can authenticate users from more
than a single OU. See the description for the setting “User DN Suffix” in “LDAP Server
Configuration Settings” on page 99.
• Combine LDAP authentication for one domain with Windows domain authentication for a
second domain

LDAP Authentication from a Single LDAP Domain

For example, a facility’s Active Domain might have three domains, as shown in the following
illustration.

If a domain includes only one user OU, you can specify that domain as the Search Root DN and the
User DN Suffix. In the following illustration, import and authentication is specified for
test1.test.avid.com

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LDAP Authentication from a Single OU

A domain might have more than one OU. The following illustration shows three user OUs for
test1.test.avid.com.

In the LDAP Authentication Settings, you would specify the specific OU as the Search Root DN, and
then specify a User DN Suffix to authenticate users in that OU. In this example, the Search Root DN
is set for the OU test\userou1 in the domain test1.test.avid.com. The User DN suffix matches this
search root.

Combined LDAP Authentication and Windows Domain Authentication

If you want to import and authenticate users from two domains, you can combine LDAP
authentication as described in the previous sections (either for a single domain or for a single OU)
with Windows Domain authentication for a second domain. For information on Windows Domain
authentication, see “Setting Windows Domain Authentication and Importing Users” on page 95.

The following illustration shows Windows Domain Authorization selected for one domain (the
domain is not shown in the Interplay Administrator view) and LDAP Authorization for an OU in
another domain.

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Automatically Importing Individual Users through Windows Domain and

LDAP Authentication
Starting with Interplay Engine v3.8, a user who is a member of an Active Directory group, but who is
not yet an Interplay Production user, will be automatically imported and authenticated if the user’s
group is already imported into Interplay Production. The user is then imported as an Interplay
Production user in the existing group or groups.

Prior to v3.8, only complete groups, with all users, could be imported. Additional Windows Domain
and LDAP users needed to be explicitly and manually imported before being able to log in to
Interplay Production by importing the entire user group again.

The following is a typical workflow:

1. Before you can automatically import individual users, you must set up authentication for the
Windows Domain or the LDAP database, and import the user groups. Use one of the following
procedures:
In addition to importing the user groups, an administrator can manually create groups in the
LDAP or MICROSOFT root import groups in the ImportedUsers group.
2. A user who is not yet imported but is a member of one or more of the imported groups logs in to
Interplay Production, using a Windows Domain or LDAP user name and password.

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3. The Interplay Engine checks these credentials in the Windows Domain or LDAP groups that it
knows about. If the user is included in one of these groups, the Interplay Engine allows access
and adds the user to the appropriate group in the Interplay Production user database. The user is
assigned the roles that are set on the existing groups.
If the group does not exist in the Interplay Production user database, authentication fails. An
administrator can then import the appropriate group, using one of the procedures listed in step 1
above.
4. (Optional) An administrator can move the imported user to a different group to assign a new user
role. See “Managing Database Roles” in the Avid Interplay Engine and Interplay Archive Engine
Administration Guide.

Managing Users, User Groups, and User Rights

The User Management view lets you create, modify, manage and delete users and user groups. It also
lets you define user roles and authentication protocols. If you are working in an environment that
includes more than one Interplay Engine, you should manage users through a CCS (see
“Understanding the Central Configuration Server” on page 87). Managing users through a CCS lets
you manage users across multiple workgroups.

If you work at a relatively small site where all editors and assistants have access to all the current
projects, then you can set all user roles by user groups. If you work at a site where you need to limit
access to some projects, you can set roles for users on specific folders. See “Managing Database
Roles” on page 114.

For more information about managing user roles, with specific examples, see “Setting Up a Folder
Structure and a User Database” in the Interplay Best Practices Guide.

The following illustration shows the User Management view with the Administrators group selected.
In this example, there are three custom user groups: Assistants, Editors, and Graphic Artists.

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Understanding Default User Groups, Users, and Roles

The User Management view displays all user groups and users. The user groups created during the
server installation are as follows:
• Administrators, with the user Administrator: Users with administrator rights. When you first log
in after the first installation, if you have not yet imported Windows Domain or LDAP server
users, the only user displayed is the user “Administrator” with administrator rights. This user
cannot be deleted, nor can the user rights be restricted in any way.
• Everyone: All users. This group contains the master user for every user in all the other groups.
The master user in the Everyone group is the original user object. Instances of a user in other
groups are linked to the master user. By default, the group role is set to No Access. The
following illustration shows the master user for Administrator in the Everyone group and a link
to the master user in the Administrators group. The icon for the linked user includes a link
symbol.

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Link to Administrator master

Administrator master user

(in the Everyone group)

• Imported Users: Users imported from Avid Unity, Windows Domain or LDAP (see “Setting User
Authentication Providers and Importing Users” on page 91). By default, the group roles are set
as follows:
- LDAP: No Access.
- MICROSOFT: No Access.
- UNITY: Read Access.
• Migrated Users: The group for users migrated from an Avid Unity MediaManager environment
to an Interplay environment. By default, the group role is set to No Access. For more information
on migrating users from an Avid Unity MediaManager environment to an Interplay environment,
see your Avid representative.

Adding User Groups

Interplay creates default user groups during the server installation. You can create additional groups
so that you can more easily manage access to the database. For example, you might have a group of
editors that should always have Read/Write/Delete privileges on all files. You might also have a
group of assistants that should have Read/Write privileges. In this case you can set up two user
groups that have different sets of privileges: one named Editors, and one named Assistants.

To create a user group:

1. In the User Management section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the User
Management icon.
The User Management view opens.
2. In the Users pane, select the group into which you want to add a the new user group. To create a
group at the top level, select Users.
3. Do one of the following:
t Press Ctrl+G for a new user group.
t Click the Create User Group button.
4. Add a name and a description for the new group.
By default, the description is inherited from the group in which you created the group.
All special characters are allowed in user and group names except “\”, “/”, “|” and quotes (" and
'). For more information, see “Viewing and Setting Attributes” on page 109.
5. (Option) Select a role for the new group.
Roles are inherited from the group in which you create the group. For more information, see
“Viewing and Changing Roles” on page 111.
6. Click Apply.

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Adding Users Manually

You need to add users manually if you do not automatically add them through Unity (shared-storage)
authentication. Even if you import Windows Domain or LDAP users, you need to add users manually
if they are added to the Windows domain or LDAP server.

To add a user manually:

1. In the User Management section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the User
Management icon.
The User Management view opens.
2. In the Users pane, select the group into which you want to add a user.
3. Do one of the following:
t Press Ctrl+U for a new user.
t Click the Create User button.
4. Add attributes for the new user: name, description (inherited from the user group by default),
password, password confirmation, and email.
All special characters are allowed in user and group names except “\”, “/”, “|” and quotes (" and
'). For more information, see “Viewing and Setting Attributes” on page 109.
Passwords can be up to 255 characters long.
5. (Option) Select a role for the new user.
Roles are inherited from the group in which you create the user. For more information, see
“Viewing and Changing Roles” on page 111.
6. Select an authentication provider.
For more information, see “Viewing and Setting Authentication Providers for Individual Users”
on page 112.
7. Click Apply.

Viewing and Setting Attributes

To view attributes for a user group or a user:
t In the Users list of the User Management view, select the user group or user.
Attributes for the selected group or user are displayed in the Attributes pane.
If you select a group, the name and description are displayed. For an existing group, you can add
or edit a description.
If you select a user, the name is displayed, plus a description (inherited from the user group by
default), password, password confirmation, and email address, if you have entered them.

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By default, the password field in the Attributes text box shows asterisks. If you choose to allow
the user to log in to the server with Internal Authentication, then you need to set the password in
the Attributes text box. For users that log in through other providers, you do not need to specify
the password. For more information, see “Viewing and Setting Authentication Providers for
Individual Users” on page 112.

n The password should only include characters from the ASCII the character set. Multibyte passwords
might cause login problems, and the administrator then has to reset the password.

To set the internal password:

1. In the Users list, select a user.
2. Type the password and the confirmation in the text box.
3. Click Apply.
The user can change his or her password anytime in the login dialog box.

c If you select the Internal Authentication option and do not set a password, anyone can log in
with that user name and no password.

Understanding Standard Roles and Default Rights

After you have created the user groups and individual users, you can review and if necessary change
their roles. The role determines the rights or permissions that the user groups and individual users
have. If you assign a role to a user group, all the users in that group inherit the group rights. If you
add a user to a user group, the user inherits the group rights.

A user might have different roles, depending on the group in which the user belongs. The overall
accumulated inherited role for a user is the highest role (the role with the most rights) that the user
has in any one user group. This is the role that is displayed in the User Management view. See
“Guidelines for User Management” on page 122 for an example of an accumulated inherited role.

The five standard roles and their default rights are as follows:
• Administrator: An Administrator has Read/Write/Delete rights plus the right to carry out
administrative tasks such as logging on to the Interplay Administrator, adding users, managing
groups, and so on. Only Administrators can see all items in the Deleted Items folder in Interplay
Access.
• Read/Write/Delete: Users are allowed to view, import, edit, delete, rename, and move any item in
the database. They can view items they have deleted themselves in the Deleted Items folder in
Interplay Access.
• Read/Write: This role allows users to view, import, and edit items in the database.
• Read: These users can copy files to their local disk, but cannot delete, edit or import any item
into the database. Read-only users cannot change properties.
• No Access: This role takes away all user rights, but the user is not removed. This is useful if you
want to control access on a folder basis, for example, if you do not want a particular set of users
to be able to view selected folders in the database. This is the default role for users in the
Everyone, Imported Users, and Migrated Users folders.

You can assign rights for specific users on specific folders in the Manage Database Roles view (see
“Managing Database Roles” on page 114).

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Viewing and Changing Roles

By default, all users in a group inherit the role assigned to the group. You cannot assign rights to
specific users in the User Management view. If you want to change a user’s rights, you can move the
user to a different group.

For more information about setting up roles correctly, see “Managing Database Roles” on page 114.

For information about the right to modify properties in Access (displayed in the Additional Roles
pane), see “Setting Access Control for Custom Properties” on page 132.

To view the role of a group or user:

t In the Users list of the User Management view, select the group or user.
The role is displayed in the Roles pane. If a user has more than one role, the User Management
view displays the accumulated inherited role, the highest role (the role with the most rights) that
the user has in any one user group.
The groups to which a user or group belongs are shown in the Part of Group(s) pane. These
entries also display the role inherited from each group.
The following illustration shows information about the user Composer1. This user has Read/
Write/Delete access that is inherited from the Editors group.

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To navigate to the Users tree from the Part of Group(s) pane:

1. Select the user group in the Part of Group(s) pane.
2. For any user group other than the Users group, right-click and select one of the following:
t Select “Go To” to switch the focus of the Users tree to the group you selected.
t Select “Go to user in this group” to switch the focus of the Users tree to the selected user in
the selected user group. The Part of Group(s) dialog box focus does not update.

To change the role for a user group:

1. In the Users list of the User Management view, select the user group for which you want to
change the role.
2. In the Roles area, select the appropriate role.
3. Click Apply.

To change the role for a user, do one of the following:

t Right-click the user and select Cut, select the group, right-click the group and select Paste. This
action moves the user from one group to another. You can also drag the user from one group to
another.
t Right-click the user and select Copy, select the group, right-click the group and select Paste. This
action removes the user from one group and adds it to another. You can also hold down the Ctrl
key and drag the user from one group to another.

Viewing and Setting Authentication Providers for Individual Users

You set an authentication method in the User Authentication Providers view and these settings carry
over to all users by default. See “Setting User Authentication Providers and Importing Users” on
page 91 for details.

You can change the methods by which individual users can be authenticated. The method must be
enabled in the User Authentication Providers view (a global authentication method) before it is
available for the individual user. If you set an authentication method for an individual user, and later
change the global authentication method, the individual user does not inherit the global settings.

You can select more than one authentication provider. The list of providers is checked on login and if
one provider authenticates the user, the user can log in.

The following table provides information about the authentication providers you can select:

Type of Authentication Description

Avid ISIS Authentication The user can log in to the Interplay database using a valid Avid
Unity password.

Internal Authentication The user can log in to the Interplay database using the password
you set in the User Management view. By default, the password
field in the Attributes pane is empty. The user can change this
password anytime in the Interplay login dialog box.

LDAP Authentication The user can log in to the Interplay database using an LDAP user
name and password.

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Type of Authentication Description

Windows Domain Authentication The user can log in to the Interplay database using a Windows
domain user name and password.

c If you do not select an authentication method for a user, the user cannot log in.

To change or add an authentication provider:

1. In the Users list of the User Management view, select the user.
2. In the Authentication Providers pane of the User Management view, select the appropriate
options.

3. Click Apply to make the change, or Revert to discard your changes.

Deleting Users and User Groups

You can delete any user except Administrator and you can delete any user group except
Administrators, Migrated Users, and Everyone.

Avid recommends that a user check in all files and log off before you delete the user.

c Deleting a user or user group deletes it from all groups in the Users list and from the Central
Configuration Server.

To delete a user group or a user:

1. Select the user group or user in the Users pane.
2. Click the Delete User/Group button.

A user remains in all other user groups it is in, if any.

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Removing Users from User Groups

You can remove any user except Administrator from any user group except the Everyone group.
Removing a user does not delete the user from other groups.

To remove a user from a user group:

1. Select the user in the group from which you want it removed.
2. Do one of the following:
t Press the Delete key.
t Click the Remove User button.

Managing Database Roles

You set and manage global roles for users in the User Management view (see “Managing Users, User
Groups, and User Rights” on page 106). You have the option of limiting or granting rights for
specific users on specific folders. Use the Manage Database Roles view to manage rights on specific
folders.

For example, you might have editors and graphic artists that are working on different projects. To
avoid confusion, you might want to prevent editors on one project from having write and delete rights
on projects that they are not working on. For information about the five standard roles, see
“Understanding Standard Roles and Default Rights” on page 110.

There are two different ways to assign roles to folders:

• General role assignments (see “Viewing General Role Assignments” on page 114 and “Setting
or Changing a General Role Assignment” on page 117)
• Special access folders (see “Managing Special Access Folders” on page 120)

For more examples of setting up rights on folders, see “Setting Up a Folder Structure and a User
Database” in the Interplay Best Practices Guide.

Viewing General Role Assignments

To view assigned roles for users of the database or a folder:
1. In the User Management section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Manage
Database Roles icon.
The Manage Database Roles view opens.

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2. Select the General Role Assignment option.

General Role Assignment option

3. In the Database pane, select the database or a folder for which you want to view roles.

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If the database icon has a red X, you are not connected. Click the database icon to connect. The
database icon shows a green check mark when you are connected. The following table describes
three different states of the database icon.

Icon Meaning

(Green circle with check mark) Database you are connected to.

(Red box with X) Database you are not connected to.

(Red box with X and yellow arrow) Database needs migration.

See “Migrating a Database” on page 55.

4. In the User/Group pane, select the user or group.

t To view roles for all users of the selected folder, select All Users and Groups.
t To view roles for a particular user or user group of the selected folder, select that user or user
group.
5. In the Roles pane, select the role you want to view:
t To view all roles for the selected users of the selected folder, select “All roles.”
t To view particular roles for the selected users of the selected folder, select a role.
The path in the middle of the view displays a formula for what is displayed in the lower panel.
The Node (item in the database), User, and corresponding role are displayed in the lower panel.
Roles that are inherited from a group are grayed out. Roles that have been assigned directly are
black.

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The following illustration shows the Projects folder, the Editors group, and All roles selected. All
roles are listed in the lower panel.

Setting or Changing a General Role Assignment

Use the Manage Database Roles view to set or change rights to a particular folder. Note the
following:
• To delete items, the user must have deletion rights for the folder, even if the user is the owner of
the item to be deleted.
• To move items, the user must have write rights on the object, the folder the object is being moved
out of, and the target folder.
• All users are automatically assigned the Read role for the folder Unchecked-in Avid Assets (but
not the contents), and the Read/Write/Delete role for their private folder within the Unchecked-in
Avid Assets folder. All users are automatically assigned the No Access role for Orphan Clips.
Administrators have full access to all folders. For more information about the Unchecked-in
Avid Assets folder and the Orphan Clips folder, see the Interplay Access User’s Guide.

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To set or change a role for users of the database or a folder:

1. In the User Management section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Manage
Database Roles icon.
The Manage Database Roles view opens.
2. Select the General Role Assignment option.
3. In the Database pane, select the database or a folder for which you want to set a role.
4. In the User/Group column, select the user or user group.
5. In the Roles column, select the role you want to set.
The formula in the middle of the view shows your selection. For example, in the following
illustration, you are going to give Editors the Read role (read-only access) for the Antarctica
folder.

6. Click Set Role.

The role appears in the lower panel.

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To change a role:
t Select the entry in the lower pane, right-click, and select Set Role > role name.

To remove a role for users of the database or a folder:

1. Select the database or a folder in the Database column.
2. Select an entry in the list in the lower pane.
3. Do one of the following:
t Click the Remove Role button.
t Right-click and select Remove Role.
The role for the users on that item is inherited from the parent user group again.

Blocking Access by a Group or User

When you are trying to block access by a whole group, it is not sufficient to change the user rights for
the user group to NoAccess; individual users who have rights assigned to them specifically or
through memberships in other user groups could still log in.

To block members of an entire group:

1. In the Manage Database Roles view, in the Database pane, select the project from which you
want to block users.
2. In the User/Group pane, expand the group.
3. Select each user, and in the Roles pane select No Access.

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4. Click Set Role.

To prevent a user from accessing all databases:

t In the User Management view, deselect all authentication providers available to a user.

Managing Special Access Folders

If necessary, you can allow a user to access a specific folder that they otherwise would not have
access to. For example, if a new user is assigned the No Access role for the Projects folder, you can
allow access to a particular project within the folder.

To allow access to a Special Access folder:

1. In the Manage Database Roles view, set the No Access role for the specific user on the top-level
folder that you want to be hidden (see “Setting or Changing a General Role Assignment” on
page 117).
2. On the item for which the user needs access, set the role to Read (or higher).
The “Folder is not visible” dialog box opens, telling you how applying the role to the selected
location will affect the user’s rights on other folders.

3. Click the Apply button for the option “Mark as Special Access Folder: Grant path access and
allow to view path.”
This option allows users to log in to the database and navigate to the specified location. The tree
structure above the folder will be visible, but not the contents of the other folders in the structure.
The first option makes the contents of the tree structure accessible as well (not recommended).
After you set the special access, when users connect to the database, they see the structure of the
database above the special access folder, but not the contents of the individual folders. Only the
contents of the folder for which they have Read or higher rights are available.

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 Managing Database Roles

To view who has been assigned access to Special Access folders:

1. Select the Special Access Folders option.

Special Access
Folders option

2. In the Database pane, select the entire database or the folder for which you want to check for
Special Access folder rights.
3. In the User/Group pane, select All Users to see all users who have special access to the folders
you selected, or select a specific user.
4. The bottom panel displays the users who have special access according to your selections.
The following illustration shows that the user jeditor has special access to the folder /Outside
Productions/Graphics. To view what specific role jeditor has, select the folder in the Database
pane.

Special
Access
Folder

User who
can access
Special
Access
Folders

To remove a role assigned for Special Access folders:

1. Click the Special Access Folders option.
2. Select the appropriate folder.
3. Select the user in the list in the lower pane.

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 Guidelines for User Management

4. Do one of the following:

t Click Remove Role.
t Right-click the user and select Remove Role.
The role for the user on that item is inherited from the parent user groups again.

Guidelines for User Management

This topic provides information and suggestions that can help you manage users and access. For
more information about managing user roles, with specific examples, see “Setting Up a Folder
Structure and a User Database” in Interplay Best Practices.
• The fundamental rule of user management is that explicit rights override inherited rights, and
database rights (set in the Database Management view) override CCS rights (set in the User
Management view and stored in the CCS). The exception to this rule is the user who is a global
Administrator set through the User Management view. This Administrator always has
Administrative rights on all folders, even if rights are set otherwise in the Manage Database
Roles view.
• By default, the root group Users is assigned the NoAccess role. That means that all user
subgroups (Everyone, Imported Users, Migrated Users and any other groups you add) except for
the Administrators and UNITY (under the Imported Users) have the role NoAccess through
inheritance. NoAccess means that a user cannot even log in to the server. (The Administrators
group is assigned the Administrator role and the UNITY group is assigned the Read role.)
To override the NoAccess role, create another user group with a different role and copy the user
into that group.

c Changing the role for the Users group or the Everyone group (from No Access to Read, for
example) makes it impossible to take away this role from individual users. Avid recommends
that you do not change the role of the Users group or the Everyone group.

• You can assign a user to more than one user group (see “Setting or Changing a General Role
Assignment” on page 117) and each group can have a different role. As a result, the user inherits
different roles, which can be useful if a user contributes to different projects in different ways.
• In the User Management view, you can set only group roles. You can set roles for individual
users in the Manage Database Roles view. See “Managing Database Roles” on page 114.
• If you have only Read access to a sequence, you cannot copy this sequence to a folder for which
you have the Read/Write role. This is a security feature to prevent users from obtaining write
access to a sequence for which they have only Read access. The copy operation will succeed if
the user already has write access on the sequence in another folder, or if the user is the owner of
the sequence.
This restriction does not apply to master clips. For more information, see “Changing User Roles
on Folders (Administrators Only)” in the Interplay | Access User’s Guide.

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 Guidelines for User Management

How the Interplay Engine Determines Access

The following steps describe how the Interplay Engine server determines access to an object (usually
a folder). This process can help you understand how to assign roles and access:
1. The server checks on the object in question to see if explicit rights are set. If a user is assigned a
role on the object, the evaluation stops and the server grants the user only the role allowed and
the accompanying rights, if any.
2. If no explicit permissions were found on the object, the server checks the inherited rights on the
object in question.
3. If there are no inherited permissions, the server checks the global user rights. In this case, the
server determines what role the user has from the CCS settings.
4. In case of a conflict where the evaluation sees a user with multiple roles, for example:
- the user has the read role through one group
- the user has the read/write role through another group
then the highest ranking role wins. In this case, the user gets the read/write role.

This is an example of an accumulated inherited role. The user’s overall role for the database is the
highest role he or she is assigned to in any group, unless otherwise specified in the Manage Database
Roles view. For example: If User A is in Group 1 (which is assigned a Read role) and User A is also
in Group 2 (which is assigned a No Access role), then User A has the accumulated inherited role
Read. When you select User A in the User Management view, this role is displayed in the Roles pane.

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5 Site Settings

Site settings include configuration options for various Interplay components. The following topics
provide information about site settings:
• Defining Property Layouts
• Setting the Resolutions Available for Display
• Creating Custom Properties
• Configuring Remote Workgroups
• Configuring Categories
• Setting Server Hostnames and the Workgroup Name
• Interplay Production Services View
• Interplay Transfer Status View
• Interplay Transfer Settings View
• Workgroup Transfer Presets View
• Specifying Archive and Restore Settings
• Setting the Ownership for New Database Folders
• Enabling Interplay Synced Projects
• Setting Options for Deletion
• Viewing and Setting the Metadata Override Status
• Production Engine Bus Connector (PEBCo)
• MediaCentral Platform Services Settings

Defining Property Layouts

Administrators can use the System Properties tab in the Property Layout view to specify which
properties are available for display in the following client applications:
• Interplay Access
• Interplay Assist
• Avid Instinct
• Avid editing systems (Interplay Window)

These properties are sometimes referred to as system metadata. However, it is only part of the
metadata included in an Interplay database. For a description of available properties, see “System
Metadata Properties” on page 238.
 Defining Property Layouts

For Interplay Access, administrators select which properties are displayed by default in the Content
tab and Object Inspector Property tabs. Users can then add other available properties to these tabs.
They can also use available properties in an extended search. For the other client applications, the
default properties are preset, and users can add other available properties as columns in the Research
panel.

By default, a set of properties categorized as Broadcast is selected and displayed. You can customize
this set or you can display an alternative set of properties, either Post or Film, and then customize this
set.

The following illustration is an example of properties displayed in the Properties tab of the Interplay
Access Object Inspector.

The administrator can also use the Property Layout view to do the following:
• Create custom columns. See “Creating Custom Properties” on page 129.
• Control the resolutions that are available for display. See “Setting the Resolutions Available for
Display” on page 127

To set the properties displayed in Interplay Access:

1. In the Site Settings section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Property Layout
icon.
The Property Layout view opens.

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 Defining Property Layouts

2. Select the database for which you want to set properties.

3. Click the System Properties tab.
4. From the Active Layout options, select one of the following layouts:
- Broadcast
- Post
- Film
This option determines which set of properties is displayed in the client applications.
5. Select and deselect properties as follows:
t (Option) To make a property available for users to add into displays on their own, and to use
in an Extended Search in Interplay Access, select the property in the Available column. To
make a property unavailable, deselect it.
t (Option) To include a property in the Interplay Access Content tab, select the property in the
Content Default Column. To remove a property from the Content tab, deselect it.
t (Option) To include a property in the Interplay Access Object Inspector’s Properties tab,
select properties in the Inspector Default column. To remove a property from the Object
Inspector’s Properties tab, deselect it.

n You must select a property in the Available column if you want to display the property in the Object
Inspector or the Content tab.

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 Setting the Resolutions Available for Display

6. (Option) Click Revert to reset properties to the defaults.

7. Click Apply to save the changes.
The changes appear the next time you log in to Interplay Access.

Setting the Resolutions Available for Display

Administrators can use the Resolutions tab in the Property Layout view to specify which resolutions
are available for display in the following client applications:
• Interplay Access
• Interplay Assist
• Avid Instinct
• Avid editing systems (Interplay Window)

Lists of available resolutions appear in various places in these clients. For example, Interplay Access
includes a Resolutions dialog box that lets you select which resolutions to display as columns in the
Content view (available when you click the Presets button). Interplay Assist and Avid Instinct include
a dialog box that lets you select the columns you want to display in the Research panel.

The Resolutions tab in the Property Layout view displays a list of all current Avid resolutions. By
default, the available resolutions that are currently used in the database are selected and are displayed
in bold. Unsupported resolutions are shown in italics (see “Unsupported Operating Points in the
Interplay Production Database” on page 128.

In some circumstances you might want to make additional resolutions available for display. For
example, if you are using Interplay Access to view the status of assets on remote workgroups, and the
database for the local workgroup does not include resolutions used on the remote workgroup, you
can select those resolutions for display in the local version of Interplay Access.

By default, the option “Enable used resolutions automatically” is selected. If you add an asset
associated with a previously unused resolution to the Interplay database, this option automatically
adds it to the default list. It also prevents you from deselecting currently used resolutions (check
boxes are grayed out). If you want to remove a currently used resolution from the list for display,
deselect this option.

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 Setting the Resolutions Available for Display

To set the resolutions that are available for display:

1. In the Site Settings section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Property Layout
icon.
The Property Layout view opens.
2. Select the database for which you want to set resolutions.
3. Click the Resolutions tab.
Resolutions that are used in the database are selected by default.
4. To add a resolution, select its check box in the Available column.
The check box for the selected resolution is colored green. The name of the resolution is not in
bold face.

Resolution in local
database:
grayed-out check box,
name in bold face Resolution not in local database:
grayed-out check box,
name not n bold face

5. To remove a resolution, deselect its check box in the Available column.

If you want to remove a default resolution, deselect “Enable used resolutions automatically” and
then deselect the resolution’s checkbox. Keep in mind that any new resolutions added to the
database will not be automatically selected as available for display.
6. Click Apply to save your changes.

The changes you made appear the next time you open a list of available resolutions in the client. If a
new resolution is available, a user needs to select it for display. If a resolution was displayed as a
column, the column might remain until the next time you log into the client.

Unsupported Operating Points in the Interplay Production Database

Beginning with Interplay Production v3.6, the Interplay Engine does not restrict checked-in media to
operating points supported by Interplay Production. Labels for the unsupported operating points
might be displayed. In the Resolutions tab of the Property Layout view, unsupported operating points
are indicated by italics.

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 Creating Custom Properties

In the following illustration, the labels in italics, represent media that exists in the Interplay
Production database but is not currently supported for Interplay Production operations:

Creating Custom Properties

Administrators can create custom properties and specify how they are displayed in the following
clients:
• Interplay Access
• Interplay Assist
• Avid Instinct
• Avid editing systems (Interplay Window)

By default, the user needs to type the value for a custom property. Administrators can import an
XML file that creates a list of values from which the user can select a value.

The following topics describe how to create and use custom properties:
• “Adding a Custom Property” on page 129
• “Setting Access Control for Custom Properties” on page 132
• “Working with Lists for Custom Properties” on page 134
• “Managing Custom Properties for Improved Search” on page 137

Adding a Custom Property

You can add a custom property (custom metadata) that allows text, a number, or a timecode to be
entered as a value. The same set of custom properties are available in all layouts (Broadcast, Post,
and Film).

An entry in a custom property field is limited to 29 characters. If you use multi-byte characters, this
limit is lowered in a variable way.

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 Creating Custom Properties

Do not use an existing system property name when creating a custom property name, which can
cause problems when managing properties. System property names are listed in “System Metadata
Properties” on page 238.

You can also add a list of values from which users can choose. See “Working with Lists for Custom
Properties” on page 134.

To add a custom property:

1. In the Site Settings section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Property Layout
icon.
The Property Layout view opens.
2. Select the database for which you want to set properties.
3. Click the Custom Meta Data tab.
Any previously defined custom properties are displayed.
4. In the Add Custom Meta Data Field text box, type a name for the custom property.
5. (V3.8 and later) Select the Index Type: STRING, NUMBER, or TIMESTAMP.
For more information, see “Managing Custom Properties for Improved Search” on page 137.
6. Click the green plus sign (+).
After a few seconds, the custom property appears in the list, with the Available, Text Search, and
Indexed columns selected. The following illustration shows a new Custom Property named
“Teams.”

When the Available column is selected, the custom property is available for users to add into the
application displays, and to use in an Extended search. If the user performs an All Custom
search, only the available custom properties are used in the search.

n Deselect the property in the Available column to turn off custom properties that you do not want
displayed in the properties lists. You cannot delete custom properties for this release but you can turn
off their display.

n For information about the Text Search column, see “Disabling Text Search for Custom Properties”
on page 137

7. Select whether to include the property in the Content tab or the Object Inspector’s Properties tab,
as needed (Access only).

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 Creating Custom Properties

8. (Option) If you created an XML file for a list of values:

a. Click the Import button for the Custom Property.
The Import Custom Attribute Values dialog box opens.
b. Navigate to the XML file and click Open.
The Values and Default Value appear in the Custom Meta Data tab. The following
illustration shows the custom property “Teams” with a list of values and the default value
displayed.

9. Click Apply to save the added custom property and new layout.
10. (Option) If you want to prevent a user or group from supplying a value for a custom property,
change the role in the User Management view (see “Setting Access Control for Custom
Properties” on page 132).

The next time a user starts Interplay Access and logs in, the new custom property is displayed. The
following illustration shows the custom property “Teams” and its list of values, with the default value
highlighted.

To select a value, click an item in the list, then click Apply. In this example, a user associated the
value Team A to the folder.

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 Creating Custom Properties

Users can add a custom property as a column in Interplay Assist, Avid Instinct, and the Interplay
Window.

Setting Access Control for Custom Properties

You can control which users can supply a value for a custom property. This setting applies to both
typing a value and selecting one from a list. By default, users are allowed to supply a value.

To set access control for custom properties:

1. In the User Management section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the User
Management icon.
The User Management view opens.

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 Creating Custom Properties

Users pane Additional Roles pane Edit button

2. In the Users pane, select a group or user.

3. In the Additional Roles pane, select an option for “Can modify properties in Access”:
- Inherited: Allows the selected user or group to inherit the role of the parent group
- Yes: Allows users to type a value or to select from a menu.
- No: Prevents users from typing or selecting from a menu. Users can see the property and its
text box, but cannot supply a value for it.
If the options are grayed out, click the Edit button.
4. Click Apply.

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 Creating Custom Properties

Working with Lists for Custom Properties

You can create a custom property that includes a list of values from which users can choose (see
“Creating Custom Properties” on page 129). These lists are sometimes referred to as dictionaries or
taxonomies. The following topics provide more information about working with lists for custom
properties:
• “Creating and Editing a File for Custom Properties” on page 134
• “Removing a List for a Custom Property” on page 136
• “Using Custom Properties in an Extended Search” on page 136
• “Disabling Text Search for Custom Properties” on page 137

Creating and Editing a File for Custom Properties

If you want to provide users with a list of values they can choose from, you need to create an XML
file and then import it into the Interplay Administrator. You can create a simple list of options, or you
can create a hierarchy of options and suboptions. For example, if a user wants to label clips of sports
teams, you can create a file so that the user can select a league, and then select a team from that
league. You can specify a default selection that is highlighted in the list.

The following example shows an XML file that creates a single level set of choices, with Team A as
the default value. Substitute the values you want for the description (which appears in the Values
column of the Custom Meta Data tab) and team names. Use the quotation marks as shown.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<!DOCTYPE values SYSTEM "custom_attributes.dtd">

<values description="Teams">

<value name="Team A" default="true"/>

<value name="Team B"/>

<value name="Team C"/>

<value name="Team D"/>

</values>

The choices will appear in Interplay Access as shown in the following illustration:

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 Creating Custom Properties

The following example shows an XML file that creates a two-level hierarchy, with “League 1
Team A” as the default value.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<!DOCTYPE values SYSTEM "custom_attributes.dtd">

<values description="Teams">

<value name="League 1">

<value name="Team A" default="true"/>

<value name="Team B"/>

</value>

<value name="League 2">

<value name="Team C"/>

<value name="Team D"/>

</value>

</values>

The choices will appear in Interplay Access as shown in the following illustration:

n A custom property with a list of values is blank until you select a value. After you select a value, you
cannot return the field to a blank state. If appropriate for your custom property, you can include a
value in the list called “No Value” or something similar. To clear a value and completely remove a
list, see “Removing a List for a Custom Property” on page 136.

To create an XML file of values for a custom property:

1. Use a text editor or XML editor to create a file that matches one of the formats presented above.
2. Name and save the file.
3. In the Custom Meta Data tab, create a custom property and import the file, as described in
“Adding a Custom Property” on page 129.

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 Creating Custom Properties

To edit a list of values:

1. Do one of the following:
t Edit the original file.
t Export the existing file by clicking Export in the Custom Properties tab and then edit it.
2. Save the file.
3. In the Custom Meta Data tab, select the custom property and import the file.

Removing a List for a Custom Property

To remove a list of values for a custom property, you need to create and import a valid but empty
XML file.

To remove a list of values for a custom property:

1. Use a text editor or XML editor to create a file that matches the following format. Use quotation
marks as shown:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE values SYSTEM "custom_attributes.dtd">
<values/>
2. Save the file.
3. In the Custom Meta Data tab, select the custom property and import the file, as described in
“Adding a Custom Property” on page 129.

Using Custom Properties in an Extended Search

Users can select a value for a custom property in the Access Extended Search tab. If a user selects a
custom property that uses a list of values, and selects “is,” “is not,” “starts with, “or “does not start
with” as an operator, the list of values is displayed.

The following illustration shows a list of values for a search that uses the property “Team.”

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 Creating Custom Properties

For more information on searching in Access, see the Interplay Access User’s Guide or the Access
Help.

Disabling Text Search for Custom Properties

In facilities with a large number of custom properties, the search process can be slowed down by
searching for text in custom properties. The Interplay Administrator includes a column named “Text
Search” in the Custom Metadata tab of the Property Layout view, which lets you enable or disable
individual custom properties for text search.

A green check mark indicates the property is enabled for searching. Clear the check mark to disable
the property for searching.

This setting applies to all text searches: text-only (Search text box), simple searches, and extended
searches when you use Text as a search attribute (for example, “Text contains”).

n This setting applies only to searches performed in Interplay Access. It does not apply to searches
performed in Interplay Assist or the Interplay Window

Starting with Interplay Administrator and Interplay Engine v3.8, an administrator can further
improve search for custom properties by managing the search index. See “Managing Custom
Properties for Improved Search” on page 137.

Managing Custom Properties for Improved Search

Starting with Interplay Administrator and Interplay Engine v3.8, an administrator can manage some
features of the search index that affect custom properties. This index is accessed when a user
performs a search for a custom property in Interplay Access, either by searching in individual custom
properties in the Extended Search, or by using the Text Search criteria in Simple search, Extended
search, or the Search text box (upper right corner of the Interplay Access window).

An administrator can disable indexing of individual custom properties, and add new custom
properties to a specific search index. Removing custom properties from the STRING index results in
a smaller index and a quicker search for all STRING property searches.

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 Creating Custom Properties

For more information, see the following topics:

• “Disabling Indexing of Selected Custom Properties” on page 138
• “Creating a Custom Property and Assigning an Index Type” on page 139

Disabling Indexing of Selected Custom Properties

An administrator can enable quicker text searches by clearing the Text Search check box (in the
Custom Metadata tab) for individual custom properties (see “Disabling Text Search for Custom
Properties” on page 137). However, even when using this feature, all custom properties are still
added to the index used for a text search, which can still cause performance issues by increasing the
search index size. Starting with Interplay Administrator v3.8, an administrator can prevent selected
custom properties from being indexed.

n It is still possible perform an Extended Search of custom properties that are not indexed. However,
unless only the contents of smaller folders are searched, the search of an non-indexed property will
take longer.

Changing properties in the search index requires Exclusive Access to the Interplay Engine. Exclusive
Access locks the database to prevent access by a host system other than the one used to acquire
Exclusive Access and the Engine itself. A dialog box asks if you want to acquire Exclusive Access
before changing properties in the search index. You must click Yes to perform the operation.
Consider sending out a notice to users before performing the operation, informing them that the
database will be locked. Logged-on clients will be automatically logged off after the database is
locked. Exclusive Access is automatically released at the end of the operation. For more information
about Exclusive Access, see “Locking and Unlocking the Server” on page 73.

Creating a backup is strongly recommended before changing the search index. A Metadata Only
backup is sufficient for rebuilding the search index.

To disable indexing of selected custom properties:

1. In Interplay Administrator, open the Property Layout View and click the Custom Metadata tab.
2. In the Indexed column, clear the check box for a custom property that should not be included in
a search index.
The Index Type changes to None and the check box in the Text Search column is automatically
cleared and shaded gray, as shown in the following illustration.

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 Creating Custom Properties

3. Click Apply.
A message box is displayed, which lists the number of properties to be removed from or added to
an index and asks if you want to acquire Exclusive Access.
The message box also notes that adding the first property to the search index can take more than
one hour, if you have just started a large database. Removing a property takes only up to a few
minutes, even for large databases.
4. Click Yes.
The process begins. A message box displays progress. You can cancel the operation by clicking
Cancel. If canceled, the operation stops after processing the current property and any changes are
preserved.
Exclusive Access is automatically released at the end of the operation.

Creating a Custom Property and Assigning an Index Type

Custom properties created prior to Interplay Administrator v3.8 were indexed as Index Type
STRING. Starting with Interplay Administrator v3.8, for any new properties you create, you have the
option of selecting one of three Index Types:
• NUMBER: Select this type if the custom property value is a numerical digit.
• STRING: Select this type if the custom property value is text.
• TIMESTAMP: Select this type if the custom property value is a timecode.
The Interplay Engine uses Windows timestamps (also known as NTFS file time or Active
Directory timestamps). A Windows timestamp is a 64-bit value that represents the number of
100-nanosecond intervals that have elapsed since 12:00 A.M. January 1, 1601 Coordinated
Universal Time (UTC).
In Interplay Access 3.8, a custom property that is indexed in the TIMESTAMP index will be
displayed with a Date formatting in the Object Inspector and Assets View table. In the Extended
Search, the search condition offers the usual Date options (before, after, and so on).

The type of index for a property is displayed in the Index Type column.

Properties with NUMBER and TIMESTAMP are automatically deselected in the Text Search column
and cannot be selected (indicated by a dark gray box). This categorization improves the text search
for custom properties.

n You cannot change the index type for properties created earlier than Interplay Administrator v3.8.

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 Configuring Remote Workgroups

Configuring Remote Workgroups

A large site can include more than one workgroup. When a workflow requires searching across
remote workgroups or performing workgroup-to-workgroup transfers through Interplay Access, you
must set up the local workgroup so that a user can access a remote workgroup. You set up this access
in the Configure Remote Workgroups view. You can add an Interplay Archive Engine as a remote
workgroup.

After access to a workgroup is properly configured, an Interplay Access user can select from a list of
remote workgroups when performing a search or a transfer. For example, databases for properly
configured remote workgroups are listed in the Interplay Access Send to Workgroup dialog box.

n Configuring a remote workgroup in this view is not needed for transfer from Interplay Assist,
Avid Instinct, or Avid editing systems.

For complete information on transferring Avid assets, see the Interplay Transfer Setup and User’s
Guide or the Interplay Transfer Help.

n You can configure a maximum of 10 hostnames. For example, you can configure for searching five
remote workgroups and five Nearchive servers for a total of 10.

To set up access to a remote workgroup:

1. For transfers, make sure the Transfer Engines for both workgroups are correctly configured.
2. Make sure the list of users for the remote workgroup includes the user name and password of
users in the local workgroup who require access to the remote workgroup. For transfers, make
sure the user name and password match exactly, and that Administrator passwords also match
exactly.
In Interplay Access, if the local user’s account is not included in the remote user database, a
login screen appears. If you log in with an account on the remote workgroup, you can add the
remote workgroup to the accessible remote servers list but you cannot transfer to the workgroup.
3. In the Site Settings section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Configure Remote
Workgroups icon.
The Configure Remote Workgroups view opens.

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 Configuring Remote Workgroups

4. Select a database from the Available Databases list.

5. In the New server pane, add information about the remote workgroup you want to access.
a. Select the Host Type:
- Interplay Server/Remote Search—to add access to a remote Interplay workgroup
- TransferManager—to add access to a Workgroup 4 TransferManager
- MediaManager—to add access to a Workgroup 4 workgroup or Nearchive™ system
- Interplay Server / 3d Party Search—to add access for a third-party plug-in. The plug-in
needs to be properly installed before you can configure it. See “Using Third-Party
Search Plug-Ins” in the Interplay Access User’s Guide or Help.
b. Type information for the remote workgroup. The fields vary, depending on the Host Type
you selected.
- For the Server, you can type the remote workgroup’s IP address instead of the host
name.
- For Database, select AvidWG for an Interplay Engine or AvidAM for an Interplay
Archive Engine.
- The Nickname is displayed in the Interplay Access Remote Search list and must be less
than 255 characters. If you do not supply a Nickname, the Interplay Engine creates one
that combines the host name and the database.
c. Click Add.
The Server name and other information about the remote workgroup appears in the list of
accessible remote servers.

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 Configuring Categories

To remove a remote workgroup from the accessible list:

1. Click the name of the remote workgroup in the list.
2. Click Remove.

Configuring Categories
Categories provide a grouping mechanism for the data that is stored in the database. Categories are
displayed in Interplay Access, Interplay Assist, and Avid Instinct. A user can assign database items to
these categories and use these categories in a search. You can double-click a category to view a list of
the category’s items.

By default, no categories are configured in the Interplay Administrator.

c There is no option to rename a category. The database items identify the categories they belong
to by the category name, so this name cannot be changed once it is used.

Adding Categories
To make categories available in Interplay Access:
1. In the Site Settings section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Configure
Categories icon.
The Configure Categories view opens.

2. Select a database from the Available Databases list.

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 Configuring Categories

3. In the New Categories text box, type one name for a category, or type a comma-separated list
(commas and spaces are automatically removed).
4. Click Add, and then click Apply.
After refreshing Interplay Access, the categories you specified are visible in the Categories pane.

When performing a search, you can use a Category name to locate items that belong to that
category.

Removing Categories
Removing a category only removes it from the Configured Categories list in the Interplay
Administrator. Objects in the database that have this category keep it, even if it is not listed anymore.
If an item was assigned to a category but you removed that category in the Interplay Administrator,
users are informed that the category is not valid anymore in the Interplay Access Categories tab.

To remove a category:
1. In the Interplay Administrator, click Configure Categories.
2. In the Configure Categories view, from the Configured Categories list, select the category you
want to delete from the Configured Categories list.
3. Click Remove.
4. Click Apply to save the changes, or Revert to discard your changes.
You must refresh Interplay Access to see that the category is no longer available.

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 Setting Server Hostnames and the Workgroup Name

Setting Server Hostnames and the Workgroup Name

The Server Hostname Settings view lets you set the information described in the following table.

Group Setting Description

Interplay Production Interplay Production Services Enter the name of the Interplay Production Services
Services Settings Engine Engine so that you can run the Interplay Production
Services view (see “Interplay Production Services
View” on page 146) or use any Interplay Production
Services. For more information, see the Interplay
Production Services Setup and User’s Guide.

Interplay Delivery Receiver Host Enter the name of the system where the Interplay
and Port Delivery Receiver service is installed so that you can
receive transfers from the Delivery service. By default
the port is 33321. For more information, see the
Interplay Production Services Setup and User’s
Guide.

Interplay Dynamic Relink Service For Media Composer Cloud use.

Host
Enter the name of the system where the Dynamic
Relink service is installed. For more information, see
the Media Composer | Cloud Installation and
Configuration Guide.

Workgroup and Media Workgroup Name Enter the name of the workgroup so that Interplay
Indexer Settings Access can locate the Media Indexer, which is used to
monitor shared storage. .

c The Workgroup Name field is case sensitive

and the name must exactly match the
workgroup name used by the Avid Service
Framework. You can view or change this
workgroup name in the Avid Interplay
Workgroup Properties, which is an
application that is part of the Avid Service
Framework.

Check Media Indexer Click the Check Media Indexer button to check
whether the Media Indexer that monitors shared
storage is running.
• If the Media Indexer is running, the system
displays the message “Connected to Media
Indexer successfully” in the Notifications area at
the bottom of the Interplay Administrator window.
• If there is a problem, an error message is
displayed, such as “No lookup service found for
workgroup.” See “Configuring Avid Interplay
Media Indexers” in the Interplay Best Practices
Guide.

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 Setting Server Hostnames and the Workgroup Name

Group Setting Description

Media Indexer AMA Shared- Enter the name of the shared-storage location in which
Storage Location Media Indexer looks for AMA .spaaf files. Enter the
name as a full UNC path. This must be the same
location that you identified for the .spaaf files in the
Media Indexer web interface. For more information,
see “Using AMA Material in Interplay” in the
Interplay Best Practices Guide.

Fallback Shared-Storage Server Enter the computer name of the shared-storage server.
This name is automatically entered after the first
connection from the Interplay Engine to the local
shared-storage system (the shared-storage system
configured in the same subnet as the Interplay
Engine), so in most cases you do not need to enter this
computer name. Usually the Interplay Engine gets the
name of the shared-storage server from the Media
Indexer. If this is not possible, the Interplay Engine
gets the name of the shared-storage server from the
Fallback Shared-Storage Server setting. Use this
setting in case you need to change the name of the
shared-storage server.
In a multiple ISIS workgroup, use the name of the
local shared-storage system.
For Interplay Sphere, the Remote Upload Service
requires that the name of the Fallback Shared Storage
Server matches the name of the ISIS System Director
server. If the name does not match, the system displays
the following error message:
“check to see if the <ISIS System Director server
name>/news/avidmediafiles/mxf… has enough...”

Server MI Connection URL Click the Add button to add one or more Media
Indexer servers. The following applications use this
setting to locate the Media Indexer servers:
• Avid editing applications
• Production Services Transcode provider
• STP Encode
• Interplay Transfer engine
• Interplay Access
• Avid Instinct

n Interplay Access uses the Workgroup Name

option.
For more information, see “Configuring Media
Indexer Changes for Interplay v3.0” in the Interplay
Best Practices Guide.

n Starting with Interplay Production v3.6, the MCS Bus Service Settings are displayed in a new view,
MediaCentral Platform Services. For more information, see “MediaCentral Platform Services
Settings” on page 167.

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 Interplay Production Services View

n Starting with Interplay Production v3.5, streaming playback through the Streaming Server is not
supported in Interplay Access. The Streaming Server settings were removed in Interplay Production
v3.6.

To set server hostnames and other workgroup information:

1. In the Site Settings section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Server Hostname
Settings icon.
The Server Hostname Settings view opens.

2. Supply the information described in the above table.

3. Where appropriate, click Apply Changes.

Interplay Production Services View

The Interplay Production Services view is a tool for administering the Interplay Production Services
Engine and monitoring job status. This view provides settings for the following tasks:
• Filtering jobs to monitor
• Registering providers
• Installing services

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 Interplay Transfer Status View

• Setting up users
• Setting up profiles

n These options are also available from the Admin Tool in the Interplay Production Services
application dialog box.

Before you can use the Interplay Production Services view, the Interplay Production Services Engine
for the workgroup must be configured in the Server Hostname Settings view. For details, see “Setting
Server Hostnames and the Workgroup Name” on page 144. Also, the Interplay Production Services
Engine must be running.

If the Interplay Production Services connection to the Interplay Production Services Engine fails, the
login panel is displayed to let you manually attempt to login again.

For details on installing and using the Interplay Production Services Engine, see Interplay
Production Services Setup and User's Guide.

Interplay Transfer Status View

The Interplay Transfer Status view is used for monitoring the progress of transactions being handled
by one or more Interplay Transfer Engines in the workgroup. It allows administrators to quickly view
all the relevant details for each transaction. You can choose to have the status window open at all
times in their control center.

n The list of Interplay Transfer Engines available from the Interplay Transfer Status filter is created
from the Interplay Transfer Settings. For details, see “Interplay Transfer Settings View” on page 147.

For descriptions of the various filters and configuration settings, see the Interplay Transfer Setup and
User's Guide.

Interplay Transfer Settings View

The Interplay Transfer Settings view lets an administrator configure the names and locations of the
Interplay Transfer Engines in the workgroup. The settings determine which cache server monitors
which Transfer Engines and Transfer Engine enabled devices. The Interplay Transfer Status view
uses these settings to access the Transfer Engines in the workgroup.

For procedures that explain these settings, see the Interplay Transfer Setup and User's Guide.

Workgroup Transfer Presets View

When performing workgroup transfers, you can use presets to select a predefined destination for the
transferring files. Transfer presets provide the name of the remote workgroup, a destination
workspace, and a destination folder for the metadata. You can also choose whether to display the
preset in the Send to Workgroup dialog box.

n Users with Administration rights can change the configuration to another destination in the Send to
Workgroup dialog box in Interplay Access.

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 Specifying Remote Servers for Asset Tracking

For procedures that explain the Workgroup Transfer Presets view, see the Interplay Transfer Setup
and User's Guide.

Specifying Remote Servers for Asset Tracking

If your facility includes more than one workgroup, you can use Interplay Access to display
information for assets that are shared by different workgroups. For example, you can determine if
assets stored in one workgroup are correctly archived in an archive workgroup.

In the Interplay Administrator, you need to specify the name of the Interplay Engine server for the
remote workgroup.

For complete information about asset tracking, see the Interplay Access User’s Guide.

To specify a remote server for asset tracking:

1. In the Site Settings section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Asset Tracking/
Archive Settings icon.
The Asset Tracking/Archive Settings view opens.

2. If you want to track assets in a non-archive server, in the Online server name text box, type the
computer name of the Interplay Engine server and click Add.
The server name is added to the list of configured hosts.
3. If you want to track assets on an archive server, in the Archive Server name text box, type the
computer name of the Interplay Archive Engine.
4. Click Apply Changes.

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 Specifying Archive and Restore Settings

Specifying Archive and Restore Settings

The Asset Tracking/Archive Settings view lets you select options for how the Interplay Engine
operates with the Interplay Archive Engine and the Archive Provider. The view displays different
settings, depending on where you are logged in.

If you are logged into an Interplay Archive Engine, the settings include:
• Allow duplicate media files )
- This option lets you choose whether the Archive Provider archives duplicate versions of the
media.
• Allow Metadata Archive
- This option lets you choose whether the AAF metadata for Avid assets is sent to the tape
archive along with the media.

If you are logged into an Interplay Engine, the settings include:

• Archive server name
• Archive Segment size
• Use best effort restore
• Optimized Partial Restore

These settings are described in the following topics. For more information about using an Interplay
Archive Engine, see Interplay Best Practices and the Interplay Production Services Setup and User’s
Guide.

Archiving Duplicate Versions of Media

By default, the Archive Provider does not archive duplicate versions of media, however, you can
choose to have it do so.

When you archive a master clip, subclip, or sequence for the first time, the Archive Provider
automatically archives all the associated media. If you are archiving another subclip or sequence that
refers to the original master clip, the Archive Provider does not automatically archive a duplicate
version of the associated media. The Archive Provider archives all of the metadata associated with
the new subclip or sequence but it does not archive duplicate versions of the media. Selecting “Allow
duplicate media file(s)” tells the Archive Provider to create multiple versions of the media files.

The Interplay Archive Engine avoids duplication by default. If you prefer to have the Archive Engine
archive duplicate media files, you can use the Interplay Administrator to change the setting.

This setting appears only when you log in to an Archive Engine database.

To change whether archive operations create duplicate media:

1. Open the Interplay Administrator and log into the system running the Archive Engine.
2. In the Site Settings section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Asset Tracking/
Archive Settings icon.
The Asset Tracking/Archive Settings view opens.
3. Select the Archive database AvidAM from the database list.

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 Specifying Archive and Restore Settings

The system displays the Asset Tracking/Archive Settings window for the Interplay Archive
Engine.

4. Select one of the following settings for “Allow duplicated media files” option:
t No — When you archive an Avid asset the first time, the Archive Provider archives all
associated media. If you archive other assets that reference the same media, the Archive
Provider archives the metadata but does not archive duplicate versions of the associated
media (default setting).
t Yes — The Archive Provider archives the associated media each time you archive an asset.
If you delete an asset that references the duplicated media, the system asks if you want to
delete the associated media files. If you choose the delete the media, the system deletes all
copies of the media.
5. Click Apply Changes.

Adding AAF Metadata to an Archive

The Asset Tracking/Archive Settings view on the Interplay Archive Engine includes an option
labeled “Allow Metadata Archive.” If you select Yes, AAF metadata for Avid assets is sent to the tape
archive along with the media. This option requires special implementation by the tape archive
vendor. If you select No, only media is sent to tape (the default). This option is supported for the SGL
FlashNet™ solution. Consult with your archive solution provider to determine if your installation
supports this feature.

This setting appears only when you log in to an Archive Engine database.

Specifying the Archive Server, Segment Size, and Restore Process

These settings appear when you log in to an Interplay Engine online database (AvidWG). You must
set the name of the Archive Engine server. You might need to set the other options, depending on
your workflow.

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 Specifying Archive and Restore Settings

To specify Archive settings for an online database:

1. Open the Avid Interplay Administrator and log into the system running the Interplay Engine.
2. In the Site Settings section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Asset Tracking/
Archive Settings icon.
The Asset Tracking/Archive Settings view opens.
3. Select the AvidWG database from the database list.
The Archive Settings area displays these options.

4. In the Archive Settings area, do the following:

t In the Archive server name text box, type the name of the computer running the Avid
Interplay Archive Engine.
t In the Archive Segment size (frames) text box, type the segment size used for partial restore
operations, in frames. The default value is 1800 frames.

n If you later change the Archive Segment size, the new size applies only to new archives. Partial
restores of media that is already archived use the original segment size.

t Use best effort restore - if you select this option, a restore process restores as many files as it
can without returning errors. This option requires special implementation by supported
third-party vendors to ignore any missing files that are no longer in the archive storage. If
you do not select this option, then the restore process fails when there are any missing files
(the default).

c The “Use best effort restore” option is not supported by all third-party archive vendors. If you
select this option and your archive vendor supports it, then a restore process restores as many
files as it can without returning errors.

5. Click Apply Changes at the bottom of the window.

Enabling Optimized Partial Restore

Interplay Restore v3.6 introduced the Optimized Partial Restore process, which allows a faster
restore of partial media from an Interplay Production archive. This feature might not be desirable in
facilities where clip verification is more important that reducing wait time, so the Interplay
Administrator includes a setting to enable or disable this feature. It is disabled by default.

To enable Optimized Partial Restore:

1. Open the Avid Interplay Administrator and log into the system running the Interplay Engine.
2. In the Site Settings section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Asset Tracking/
Archive Settings icon.
The Asset Tracking/Archive Settings view opens.

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 Setting the Ownership for New Database Folders

3. Select the AvidWG database from the database list.

The Archive and Restore Settings are displayed.

4. In the Archive and Restore Settings section, for Optimized Partial Restore, selected Enabled
(process clips when available).

Setting the Ownership for New Database Folders

The Ownership Behavior view lets you determine how the owner is assigned when a user creates a
new Interplay folder in the following applications:
• Interplay Access
• Interplay Assist
• Avid Instinct
• Interplay Window
• Interplay checkin from Avid editing system

By default, the user who creates a folder is set as the owner. As the owner, the user by default has
read/write/delete permission on the folder. In Interplay Access, a problem could develop in the
following situation:
1. Editor 1 owns a folder named Final that contains a sequence named Final_Sequence and has
read/write/delete permission on the folder.
2. Editor 2 has read/write permission on the folder, but not delete rights.
3. Editor 2 creates a folder named Final_2 within folder Final, and thus has read/write/delete
permission on the new folder.
4. Editor 2 duplicates Final_Sequence, moves it into folder Final_2 and renames it
Final_Sequence_2. Referenced assets are selected to be displayed in folder Final_2 (Tools >
Options > Filter Settings), so the master clips that make up the sequence are displayed in the
folder.
5. Editor 2 deletes Final_Sequence_2, its master clips, and its associated media.

As a result, all media for the original Sequence_Final is also deleted (unless there is a reservation
active on the material).

To prevent this situation, you can set an option so that a new folder is owned by the same owner as
the parent folder. If this option is set, in the previous example, Editor 2 inherits read/write
permissions on the new folder but does not have delete permission and thus cannot delete the
sequence or master clips.

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 Enabling Interplay Synced Projects

n An administrator can change the owner and permissions for a folder after it is created. For more
information, see the Interplay Access User’s Guide or Help.

To specify how ownership is set for new folders:

1. In the Site Settings section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Ownership Behavior
icon.
The Ownership Behavior view opens.

2. Select the database for which you want to set the behavior.
3. Select the option you want.
- “Set creator as owner” is the default.
- “Set same owner as parent folder” sets the owner of a new folder to be the owner of the
folder in which the new folder was created.
4. Click Apply.
The change takes effect immediately.
5. To undo your change, click Revert, then click Apply.

Enabling Interplay Synced Projects

Interplay Synced Projects provide you with a way to link your bins and projects in Media Composer
or NewsCutter with the folder structure for assets stored in your Interplay database. Before you can
use synced projects, you need to enable the Synced Projects setting in Interplay.

Folders for Interplay Synced Projects are indicated by a synced project icon. Media assets in these
folders update as users modify the projects in Media Composer and NewsCutter.

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 Setting Options for Deletion

Synced project asset folders in Avid Access, with the synced project icon

For more information about using synced projects, see “Interplay Synced Projects” in the Help for
your Avid editing application.

To enable synced projects:

1. In the Site Settings section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Synced Project
Settings icon.
The Synced Project Settings view opens.

2. Select Enable, and then click Apply.

The application enables synced projects for the selected workgroup.

Setting Options for Deletion

The Delete Behavior view let you set options for the Delete dialog box, as described in the following
topics:
• “Understanding the Deletion Process” on page 155
• “Scheduling the Deletion of Database Assets” on page 160
• “Setting Options for Deleting Only OMF Media, Only MXF Media, or Both” on page 163
• “Setting Options for Deleting Locked Media” on page 163

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 Setting Options for Deletion

• “Activating the Option to Delete Referenced Assets” on page 164

• “Using the Delete Kept Media Tool” on page 164

Understanding the Deletion Process

When you check in a master clip or other Avid asset to Interplay, Interplay stores the original asset in
the database and creates identically named, visible assets in one or more Interplay folders. These
visible assets are links to the assets that are stored in the database. Links (also referred to as
representations) are the visible means of working with assets. You can have more than one link to the
same asset.

The assets that are stored in the database are referred to as database assets. Database assets
themselves are not visible in the user interface, but are represented by links.

This distinction between links and database assets is important in understanding how the deletion
process works and the how it is affected by a deletion schedule. The following topics describe the
deletion process:
• “Three Parts of the Deletion Process” on page 155
• “Changes in Interplay v2.4 (Asynchronous Deletion)” on page 157
• “Default Deletion Schedule and Custom Deletion Schedules” on page 157
• “Changes to the Orphan Clips Folder” on page 158
• “How Asynchronous Deletion Works with the Orphan Clips Folder” on page 159
• “Logs for Deleted Media and Metadata” on page 159
• “Properties for Interactive Deletions” on page 160
• “Do Not Delete Items from the Top Level of the Orphan Clips Folder During a Scheduled
Deletion” on page 160

For information about deletion workflows and recommendations, see “Developing an Interplay
Delete Strategy” in the Interplay Best Practices Guide.

Three Parts of the Deletion Process

If you select to delete assets and media in the Interplay Access Delete dialog box, the deletion
process consists of three major parts:
1. Media files for assets that are not reserved are deleted from shared storage.

Clip 1 V1 media
(link)
Clip 1
database asset A1 media

Clip 1 copy
(link) A2 media

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 Setting Options for Deletion

2. Links for assets that are not reserved or referenced by other assets are deleted from the database.

Clip 1 V1 media
(link)
Clip 1
database asset A1 media

Clip 1 copy
(link) A2 media

3. After the last link for an asset is deleted, database assets are deleted unless they reference online
media.
The following illustration shows the completed deletion.

Clip 1 V1 media
(link)
Clip 1
database asset A1 media

Clip 1 copy
(link) A2 media

The last part of the process is the part that takes the longest time and places the heaviest load on the
Interplay Engine. In addition, this part of the process does not provide immediate feedback, as
opposed to media deletion (you can see the files deleted from shared storage) and link deletion (you
can see links are deleted from the Access folder structure).The Interplay Access Delete dialog box
remains open until the entire deletion process is complete, which results in wasted time for a media
manager.

n Some files associated with database assets, such as AAF files and headframes, are deleted after the
next complete backup.

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 Setting Options for Deletion

Changes in Interplay v2.4 (Asynchronous Deletion)

In Interplay v2.4 and later, the last part of the deletion process (database asset deletion) is
disassociated from the first two parts of the deletion process. When the last link to a database asset is
deleted, the Interplay Engine moves the last link for the database object to the Orphan Clips folder.
This link points to the database asset.

Clip 1 V1 media
(link)
Clip 1
database asset A1 media

Clip 1 copy
(link) A2 media

Orphan Clips folder

Clip 1
(link)

You can think of deletion prior to v2.4 as synchronous, because all three parts of the process occur at
approximately the same time, during the interactive part of the deletion (that is, while the Delete
dialog box is open). Deletion in v2.4 and later is asynchronous, because deletion of the database
assets takes place after the interactive part of the deletion.

c It is important to remember that in Interplay v2.4 and later the deletion process is always
asynchronous. Even if you do not select a custom deletion schedule, deletion of database assets
is separated from interactive deletion of links and media.

Default Deletion Schedule and Custom Deletion Schedules

Deletion of links in the Orphan Clips folder and the database assets always take place
asynchronously, during a scheduled time span. You can use the default deletion schedule or you can
set a custom schedule in the Interplay Administrator.

Default deletion schedule: The default deletion schedule is set as a 24-hour time span (00:00 to
24:00). In this case, the database asset deletion takes place at approximately the same time that you
run the deletion operation. As a result, links to the database assets might not be visible in the Orphan
Clips folder because they are deleted immediately after the interactive part of the deletion. Links with
online media are moved to the Kept Media folder and are not deleted (see “Changes to the Orphan
Clips Folder” on page 158).This default time span results in the least disruption for established
workflows, but it does not lessen the load that the deletion operation places on the Interplay Engine.

For the default deletion schedule, no options in the Scheduled Deletion Options section are selected.
This is important to keep in mind if you disable a custom deletion schedule with one or more options
selected. The inactive selected options do not indicate the default schedule options but the last
custom schedule options selected.

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 Setting Options for Deletion

Custom deletion schedule: To take advantage of the improved process and lessen the load on the
Interplay Engine, you need to set a custom schedule with one or more time spans. Scheduling a
deletion time span results in a faster initial deletion operation and less impact on other Interplay
Engine operations. You set a custom time span in the Interplay Administrator. Additional options are
also available. See “Scheduling the Deletion of Database Assets” on page 160.

Scheduled deletion works similarly on the Interplay Archive Engine. On the Interplay Archive
Engine, media is flagged for deletion, but the deletion itself takes place through the third-party
archive system.

Changes to the Orphan Clips Folder

c The function of the Orphan Clips folder and the status of its contents changed in Interplay
v2.4.

Previously the Orphan Clips folder contained links for assets deleted or removed from Interplay
folders that still referenced media files on shared storage (“classic” orphan clips). Now, in addition to
these links, the Orphan Clips folder also contains links for assets whose database assets are scheduled
for deletion, whether or not the assets have online media.

n If your deletion time span is set for the default 24-hour period, you might not see links for assets
scheduled for deletion in the Orphan Clips folder, because the database assets are deleted
immediately after the interactive part of the deletion.

You can distinguish links that have online media from links that do not have online media by
displaying the Media Status column. A red icon indicates media offline. Double-click the column
head to sort by the values of the column.

Links with
offline media

Links with
online media

Starting in Interplay v2.4, the Orphan Clips folder includes the following subfolders:
• Kept Media folder: You can select an option to include deletion of online media in the
scheduled deletion (“Permanently delete assets and associated online media from the Orphan
Clips folder”). If you do not select this option, the scheduled deletion moves any links with
online media to a subfolder in the Orphan Clips folder named “Kept Media.” This option to
delete is not selected by default, so even if you do not enable custom deletion, the Interplay
Engine creates a Kept Media folder when needed. You can manually delete clips and media from
this folder at a time that is appropriate for your workflow.
• Failed to Delete folder: If the deletion process is not able to delete a clip or its media (for
example, if a clip is corrupted), the Interplay Engine creates a subfolder in the Orphan Clips
folder named “Failed to Delete” and moves assets it could not delete to this folder. You can try to

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 Setting Options for Deletion

manually delete clips and media from this folder as well, but you might need to determine a
different method of deleting these clips and media. For example, check the shared-storage
system workspace to make sure the Server Execution User has delete rights.

These folders are useful in two ways:

• It is easier to browse and search a large Orphan Clips folder for assets with online media and
assets that cannot be deleted.
• The scheduled deletion process ignores both of these folders, resulting in improved performance.

How Asynchronous Deletion Works with the Orphan Clips Folder

During the scheduled time spans, the Interplay Engine reviews the objects in the Orphan Clips folder
and deletes the links, the database assets, and the media (if the option “Permanently delete assets and
associated online media from the Orphan Clips folder” is selected). At the end of a time span, the
Interplay Engine keeps a record of where it stopped. If not all eligible assets were deleted, it
continues from this position at the start of the next time span. This process also takes place if the
scheduled deletion is interrupted, such as for system maintenance.

Logs for Deleted Media and Metadata

Deletions are logged in two files:

• AvDeletes.log. This log lists information about media deleted from shared storage.
• AvMetaDataDelete.log This log lists information about assets (metadata) deleted from Orphan
Clips or any other folder. Scheduled deletions are noted.

The following are examples of AvMetaDataDelete logs:

• When a user deletes metadata that is moved to the Orphan Clips folder:
[Thu Mar 10 12:12:17 2011] User 'Administrator' on host 'MUC-TReichgr'
deleting metadata:
[Thu Mar 10 12:12:17 2011] From '/Projects/Test3/'
[Thu Mar 10 12:12:17 2011] 'LHJU MOUNTIES -Vakantiekamp' handle 1921
moved to Orphan Clips
[Thu Mar 10 12:12:17 2011] 'MOUNTIES - vakantiekamp' handle 1924 moved
to Orphan Clips
• When a scheduled deletion permanently deletes metadata from the Orphan Clips folder:
[Tue Mar 08 13:45:00 2011] Scheduled deletion: deleting metadata from
Orphan Clips:
[Tue Mar 08 13:45:00 2011] 'Film BKG.mov' handle 1368 user
'Administrator'
[Tue Mar 08 13:45:00 2011] 'computer BLUE internet NN BG.mov' handle
1361 user 'Administrator'
• When an administrator user permanently deletes metadata from the Orphan Clips folder:
[Thu Mar 17 20:16:10 2011] User 'Administrator' on host 'MUC-TReichgr'
deleting metadata instantly:
[Thu Mar 17 20:16:10 2011] From '/Orphan Clips/'
[Thu Mar 17 20:16:10 2011] 'Aftiteling' handle 2100

The AvMove.log file includes entries for links moved to the Kept Media folder.

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 Setting Options for Deletion

Properties for Interactive Deletions

An Interplay v2.4 or later database includes three properties that are set only for assets in the Orphan
Clips folder that were interactively deleted (that is, manually through the Delete dialog box):
• Date Deleted: Displays the date and time the last link was deleted.
• Deleted By: Displays the user name of the person who deleted the last link.
• Original Path: Displays the folder path for an asset whose last link was deleted.

To display these properties, an Interplay administrator has to make them available in the Property
Layout view. An Interplay Access user has to select the properties for display as entries in the Object
Inspector or as columns in the Assets pane.

Do Not Delete Items from the Top Level of the Orphan Clips Folder During a Scheduled
Deletion

Do not delete items from the top level of the Orphan Clips folder during a scheduled deletion time
span. Deleting assets during a scheduled deletion time span can cause various problems. If necessary,
you can manually delete assets from the top level of the Orphan Clips folder outside of a scheduled
deletion time span. For example, if deletion is scheduled for 1 a.m. to 3 a.m., you can delete assets at
any other time.

c By default, a 24-hour time span (00:00 to 24:00) is specified for deletion. If you have not set a
custom deletion schedule, do not manually delete assets in the top level of the Orphan Clips
folder.

The Kept Media subfolder has a different use. It holds assets whose media has not been deleted.
These assets are not deleted through the schedule deletion process, so you can review and manually
delete these assets at any time.

Scheduling the Deletion of Database Assets

Beginning with Interplay Engine v2.4, you can schedule custom time spans and set other options for
deletion of database assets in the Interplay Administrator. This feature lets you schedule a significant
part of the load generated on the Interplay Engine by deletion operations to take place during times of
low activity.

n Even if you do not schedule a custom deletion, deletion in v2.4 and later is asynchronous, because
deletion of the database assets takes place after the interactive part of the deletion. For more
information, see “Understanding the Deletion Process” on page 155.

To schedule the deletion of database assets:

1. In the Site Settings section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Delete Behavior
icon.
The Scheduled Deletion Options section is at the bottom of the view.

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 Setting Options for Deletion

2. In the Scheduled Deletion Options section, select “Enable custom schedule.”

If you select “Enable custom schedule,” select options, and later deselect “Enable custom
schedule,” the options you selected are disabled, but remain set in case you want to enable them
again. However, the selected options are not in effect. Instead, the default deletion schedule is in
effect. See “Default Deletion Schedule and Custom Deletion Schedules” on page 157.
3. Select the options that you want:
- Allow scheduled deletions during database backups
By default, a scheduled deletion stops when an Interplay backup begins, and resumes when
the backup ends or at the next scheduled deletion. Select this option to allow both processes
to operate at the same time.
- Permanently delete assets and associated online media from the Orphan Clips folder
Select this option if you want to include assets with media in the scheduled deletion. If this
option is not selected, links with media are moved to the Kept Media folder.
- Delay scheduled deletion by at least x days from the asset deletion date
Select this option if you want to delay the scheduled deletion by a specified number of days.
You can specify 1 to 30 days. This option gives you the opportunity to review the contents of
the Orphan Clips folder before the scheduled deletion. To help determine which links will be
deleted, you can check the asset deletion date in the Date Deleted column (see “Properties
for Interactive Deletions” on page 160).
For example, imagine that you selected this option with a time period of 1 day (24 hours),
and a deletion is scheduled for 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. It's 6 p.m. Friday, March 25, and you delete a
group of assets and media. The assets are moved to the Orphan Clips folder and scheduled
for deletion at 2 a.m. Sunday morning, March 27 (32 hours later). This scheduled deletion
will include any assets deleted at or before 2 a.m. on Saturday, March 26 (24 hours before
the start of the scheduled deletion).
The following diagram illustrates this example.

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 Setting Options for Deletion

Friday Saturday Sunday

x x x

6 pm 2 am 2 am

Assets scheduled 1 day (24 hours) Scheduled

for deletion Deletion

4. Specify a time span for the deletion.

By default, a 24-hour time span is specified (00:00 to 24:00). This setting means deletion of
database assets take place at approximately the same time that the links and media are deleted.
You should set a more limited time span to cover a time when the Interplay Engine is not being
used very much. For example, a facility might set the time span for 2:00 am to 4:00 am.
One time span must always be present. Each time span is limited to one day (24 hours). If you
want to schedule a deletion period that extends from one day to another, such as 11:00 pm to
1:00 am, you need to create two time spans:
- One time span from 23:00 to 23:59
- One time span from 00:00 to 01:00
Click Add Time Span to create more than one time span. Click Remove Time Span to remove the
associated time span. Overlapping time spans are not allowed.
In addition to a specific time span, you can select one or more days for that time span. The
following illustration shows an example of three different time spans.

- The first time span specifies deletions to take place from midnight until 4:00 am every day of
the week.
- The second time span specifies deletions from 4:01 am until 8 am every Saturday and
Sunday.
- The third time span specifies deletions from 8:30 pm until 11:59 pm every Monday,
Wednesday, and Saturday.
5. When you are satisfied with your settings, click Apply.

Note the following:

• By default, all days are selected.
• You can use 00:00 for the start of a time span and 24:00 for the end of a time span.
• Time spans can “touch.” For example, you can schedule one time span from 02:00 to 04:00 and
another from 04:00 to 06:00.

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 Setting Options for Deletion

• Time spans are not allowed to overlap. For example, you cannot schedule a time span from
midnight until 4:00 am every day and also schedule a time span from 2 am to 4 am on Saturday
and Sunday. If you schedule an overlap, a message describes the problem and how to correct it.
• Scheduling deletion for specific days requires Interplay Engine v2.5. If you connect to an
Interplay Engine running v2.4 or earlier, the days of the week check boxes are displayed but are
inactive.
• Do not delete items from the top level of the Orphan Clips folder during a scheduled deletion
time span. See “Do Not Delete Items from the Top Level of the Orphan Clips Folder During a
Scheduled Deletion” on page 160.

Setting Options for Deleting Only OMF Media, Only MXF Media, or Both
If a clip is associated with both OMF and MXF media, you might want to delete only the OMF media
or only the MXF media. You can enable an option in the Interplay Administrator so that the Delete
dialog box gives users the option of which media format to delete.

To set an option that allows deleting only OMF media or only MXF media:
1. In the Site Settings section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Delete Behavior
icon.
2. In the OMF media handling section, select “Allow user choice for deleting OMF/MXF media.”
3. Click Apply.
The next time a user logs into Interplay Access and opens the Delete dialog box, the following
options are displayed:
- MXF and OMF media (default)
- Only OMF media
- Only MXF media

Setting Options for Deleting Locked Media

Editors working in an Avid editing application can use the Lock feature to lock a clip. This can cause
a problem if the lock is no longer needed and the administrator wants to delete the asset. The
administrator can set an option to control how Interplay Access handles locked clips during a Delete
operation. The default setting is for Interplay Access to skip any locked files.

To set an option for deleting locked media:

1. In the Site Settings section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Delete Behavior
icon.
2. In the Locked media handling section, select one of the following options:
- Allow user choice in Delete dialog: Two options are available in the Delete dialog box:
“Skip” and “Force delete.”
- Always skip (default): In the Delete dialog box, the “Skip” option is shown but cannot be
changed.
- Always force-delete: In the Delete dialog box, the “Force delete” option is shown but cannot
be changed.
Both “Skip” and “Force Delete” options are always active for Interplay Access users with
administrative privileges

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 Setting Options for Deletion

3. Click Apply to save any changes.

The next time a user logs into Interplay Access and opens the Delete dialog box, the options are
active or inactive, depending on the current settings in the Delete Behavior view of the Interplay
Administrator.

Activating the Option to Delete Referenced Assets

By default, you cannot delete referenced assets (including rendered effects) without deleting the
sequence that references them (see “Restricted Deletion of Referenced Assets” in the Interplay
Access User’s Guide). This feature was introduced to prevent deletion of referenced assets that were
still in use, and because most customers prefer keeping consistency between a sequence and its
referenced assets.

The Delete dialog box in Interplay Access includes an option to override this restriction: “Delete
selected clip or clips, even if they are referenced from a composition mob.” Select this option to allow
the deletion of referenced assets.

c By enabling this option, it is possible to delete assets that are still in use by a sequence. If the
deleted assets are moved to the Orphan Clips folder, media might be unintentionally deleted,
resulting in offline media.

Using the Delete Kept Media Tool

The Delete Kept Media tool is used to automatically delete the assets and media in the Orphan
Clips\Kept Media folder. Use this tool regularly only if your delete workflow causes a large number
of assets to be moved to the Kept Media folder. Note that you can manually delete assets in the Kept
Media folder, but that this tool can make the process easier if the Kept Media folder regularly has a
large number of assets.

The file name of the tool is delete_kept_media.exe and it is installed by default on the Interplay
Engine in the following folder:

C:\Program Files\Avid\Avid Interplay Engine\Server

For a cluster engine, you need to execute this tool directly on the online node. You should run this
tool during off hours because it deletes as quickly as possible and therefore puts extra load on the
Interplay Engine, ISIS shared storage system, and Media Indexer.

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 Setting Options for Deletion

The syntax of the tool is described in the following in-line help:

***********************************************************************

delete_kept_media - Deletes assets in Kept Media folder.

delete_kept_media [user:] [psw:] [proj:] [maxAssets:] [maxTime:]

This tool automates the deletion of assets (including media) that were moved to
the Kept Media folder by scheduled deletion.

Options:
user:<user name> Name of the user to logon to AvidWG with
psw:<password> Password of the user to logon to AvidWG with
proj:<database name> (optional) The name of the database (AvidWG or AvidAM).
If the parameter is omitted "AvidWG" is assumed.
maxAssets:<number>(optional) Maximum number of assets to delete
maxTime:<minutes> (optional) Maximum run time in minutes; tool will stop
deletion when this period is exceeded

The maxAssets: and maxTime: options are useful if this tool is run as a
scheduled task, e.g. using Windows Task Scheduler.

***********************************************************************

The maxTime option is especially useful. It allows a media manager to start the deletion process late
in the evening (or generally during low-load or no-load times) and specify a window for the deletion.
You can schedule the deletion before a backup starts or before use of the Interplay Engine goes up in
the morning.

For example:

C:\Program Files\Avid\Avid Interplay Engine\Server\delete_kept_media.exe

user:Administrator psw:avid maxTime:300

This command starts a deletion process that will stop after 5 hours (300 minutes). The tool displays
its progress so that you can see how many assets were deleted. If you want to direct the output of the
tool to a file, append the following to the command:

>> output_file.txt

n This tool is similar to delete_obsolete_rendered_effects.exe, which is described in the Interplay

ReadMe.

To run the Delete Kept Media tool:

1. On the Interplay Engine system (or for a cluster system, on the online node), open a Windows
Command Prompt.
2. Navigate to the location of the tool. For example, type
cd C:\Program Files\Avid\Avid Interplay Engine\Server
3. Type the command line for the tool and press Enter, using the following syntax:
delete_kept_media [user:] [psw:] [maxAssets:] [maxTime:]
If you want to direct the output of the tool to a file, append the following to the command:
>> output_file.txt

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 Viewing and Setting the Metadata Override Status

For example, to run the program for one hour and print the output in a file named results.txt, type
the following and press Enter:
delete_kept_media user:administrator psw:admin maxTime:60 >>results.txt

If you want to schedule the tool to run at a particular time, use a program such as Windows Task
Scheduler.

Viewing and Setting the Metadata Override Status

The Metadata Override Settings view lets you manage how the Archive Provider handles metadata
when an asset is archived more than once. This view appears only when the Interplay Administrator
is logged on to an Archive Engine.

By default, the Archive Provider overrides the archived metadata for an Avid asset if you archive the
asset again. You can use the Metadata Override feature in Interplay Access to disable metadata
override on archived folders, or re-enable it if it is disabled. There is currently no visual indication in
Interplay Access whether metadata override is enabled or disabled on a folder.

You can view the metadata override status in the Metadata Override Settings view in the Interplay
Administrator. You can also use this view to enable or disable metadata override for a folder.

To view whether metadata override is enabled:

1. In the Site Settings section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Metadata Override
Settings icon.
A folder tree displays the archive database.
- Folders that have metadata override enabled are marked with a blue check mark icon.
- Folders with metadata override disabled are marked with a red x icon.
- Folders marked with a gray icon indicate the inherited setting.
Folders with metadata override disabled are listed in the Locations window.

Red icon =
metadata override
is disabled
Blue icon =
metadata override
is enabled
Gray icons =
inherited setting

2. (Option) Select a folder in the folder tree to limit the folders displayed in the Locations window
to subfolders.

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 Production Engine Bus Connector (PEBCo)

To enable metadata override:

t Select a folder in the folder tree or one or more folders in the Locations window and click Enable
Override.

To disable metadata override:

t Select a folder in the folder tree or one or more folders in the Locations window and click
Disable Override.

Production Engine Bus Connector (PEBCo)

This view is used to configure a service that runs on the Interplay Engine and communicates with the
Avid Central Services (ACS) bus. This communication enables the Interplay Production database to
be part of a multi-zone Media | Index. For more information, see the Avid Media | Index
Configuration Guide.

MediaCentral Platform Services Settings

This view lists settings that are required when the Interplay Production Engine communicates with
various components of the MediaCentral Platform Services (MCS). Starting with Interplay
Production v3.6, this view includes settings that were previously displayed in other views:
• ACS Bus Service Settings: Formerly in the Server Hostname Settings view.
• MediaCentral Playback Service: Formerly in the Application Database Settings: Editing Settings
tab.
• MediaCentral | UX Messaging: Formerly in the Application Database Settings: Editing Settings
tab.

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 MediaCentral Platform Services Settings

The following table describes these settings.

For More
Option Setting Description Information

ACS Bus Service Settings Bus AMQP URL The URL for the Avid Central Avid Media | Index
Services (ACS) bus service. The Configuration Guide
PEBCo configuration requires a
series of bus calls to the
MediaCentral Platform Services
(MCS) server. Enter the proper
ACS bus URL so that the Interplay
Administrator can configure the
service correctly.

MediaCentral Playback Hostname The computer name of the Media Composer Cloud
Service MediaCentral Playback Service documentation
(MCPS) server.

Username The username for the MCPS Media Composer Cloud

server administrator. This must documentation
match the user name in the
MediaCentral UX System
Settings, in the ICPS > Player tab,
and the user credentials must be
unique.

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 MediaCentral Platform Services Settings

For More
Option Setting Description Information

Password The password for the ICPS server Media Composer Cloud
administrator. This must match the documentation
user name in the
MediaCentral UX System
Settings, in the ICPS > Player tab,
and the user credential must be
unique.

MediaCentral | Messaging Messaging URL Type the URL for the server that MediaCentral | UX
hosts the MediaCentral UX User’s Guide
Messaging pane, using the
following syntax: https://
MediaCentral server hostname

This view is available when logged in to either an Interplay Production Engine or an Interplay
Production Archive Engine.

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6 Application Settings

In the Application settings, you can configure application-specific permissions and options, as
described in the following topics:
• Application Database Settings View
• Media Composer | Cloud Settings
• Setting Instinct/Assist User Options
• Pro Tools Plug-Ins Settings

Application Database Settings View

The Application Database Settings view lets you specify on a database or folder level the settings that
are relevant when using an Interplay application.

All files and subfolders of the folder inherit its settings, but you can override the inherited settings for
specific files and subfolders. Inherited settings are grayed out. These settings are used as the default
for all new folders in the database, and are valid for all users unless they are changed explicitly for a
user or user group in the Instinct/Assist User Settings view (see “Setting Instinct/Assist User
Options” on page 186).

The Application Database Settings view has two tabs.

• Editor Settings tab. For a description of options in this tab, see the following topics:
- “Setting Options in the Editing Settings Tab” on page 171
- “Application Database Settings: Editing Settings Tab” on page 172
• Application Defaults. For a description of options in this tab, see the following topics:
- “Setting Audio Mixing Defaults for Access, Assist, and MediaCentral | UX” on page 180
- “Setting the Shotlist Start Timecode for Interplay Assist” on page 182
- “Setting an Automatic Timeout for Interplay Assist and Avid Instinct” on page 183
- “Configuring the Frame Locators Display” on page 183
 Application Database Settings View

Setting Options in the Editing Settings Tab

The Editing Settings tab in the Application Database Settings view includes settings that apply to
several different applications. Some settings apply to Interplay Instinct and Interplay Assist, some
apply to Interplay Instinct only, and one setting (“Check in bins when closing”) applies only to Avid
editing systems such as Media Composer®.

For information about these settings, see “Application Database Settings: Editing Settings Tab” on
page 172.

To change the editor database settings in the Editing Settings tab:

1. In the Editing Settings section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Application
Database Settings icon.
2. Click the Editing Settings tab.
3. Select a folder in the database.
If the database icon has a red X, you are not connected. Click the database icon to connect. The
database icon shows a green check mark when you are connected. For more information, see
“Viewing General Role Assignments” on page 114.
4. Do one of the following:
t Select an option from a drop-down list or by clicking an option button.
t Type a setting in the text box.
If a setting is grayed out, click the Edit button to enable editing.

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 Application Database Settings View

Edit button

5. Click Apply.
A notification box tells you whether or not the changes have been successfully applied. Users
who are currently logged in need to log out and log in again to see the changes.
6. Click Dismiss to close the notification box.
If you do not click Dismiss or the close box, after a few seconds the notification box minimizes
to a green bar at the bottom of the dialog box. To view the notification again, click the green bar.
The green bar is available for approximately 45 seconds.

To undo a setting:
1. Click the red X button.
This button appears only if you have explicitly set the value of the setting. Clicking the red X
button clears the setting, but does not revert the setting to the previous value.
2. Click Apply.

Audio Settings for Two NAT or SOT Tracks in Avid Instinct

Avid Instinct version 2.5 and later supports two channels of input for both NAT (natural sound) and
SOT (sound-on-tape). The following settings in the Editing Settings tab in the Application Database
Settings view apply to this support:
• Audio Patching
• Audio - Source audio patching
• Audio - Storyline audio patching
• Send to Playback - Audio Mixdown Mode
• Audio Effects - Center-Panned Sound on Tape and Voice Over

These settings are described in “Application Database Settings: Editing Settings Tab” on page 172.
For more information about using these settings, see the Avid Instinct User’s Guide.

Application Database Settings: Editing Settings Tab

You can set options for the Editing Settings tab in the Application Database Settings view as
described in the following table. The Applications column lists which applications are affected by
each option.

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 Application Database Settings View

Application Database Settings: Editing Settings Tab

Option Setting Description Applications

Format Video Format For Avid Instinct, sets the default video Avid Instinct
format for your sequences. If you MediaCentral
select Any, Avid Instinct allows you to
select a video format for your sequence
when you create a new story.

n For HDV projects, select the

HD1080i_60 video format.
For MediaCentral UX, determines the
video format only if the first edit is
creating a voice-over. Otherwise, video
format is determined by the first clip
added to the sequence. If you select
Any, the default format for voice-over
is NTSC 29.97.

Audio Patching Natural Sound Lets you specify whether NAT clips Avid Instinct
should be patched to a single channel MediaCentral
or to two channels when added to the
storyline.

Sound on Tape Lets you specify whether SOT clips Avid Instinct
should be patched to a single channel MediaCentral
or to a two channels when added to the
storyline.

Audio – Track labels Natural Sound label Allows you to specify a name for the Avid Instinct
NAT track in source clips. The default MediaCentral
is NAT.

Sound on Tape label Allows you to specify a name for the Avid Instinct
SOT track in source clips. The default MediaCentral
is SOT.

Voice Over label Allows you to specify a name for the Avid Instinct
voice-over track in source clips. The MediaCentral
default is VOICE.

Audio – Source audio Natural Sound track Specifies which track of the source clip Avid Instinct
patching 1 is mapped to NAT track 1. The default MediaCentral
is A1.

Natural Sound track If two channels are selected for NAT, Avid Instinct
2 specifies which track of the source clip MediaCentral
is mapped to NAT track 2. The default
is A4.

Sound on Tape track Specifies which track of the source clip Avid Instinct
1 is mapped to SOT track 1. The default MediaCentral
is A2.

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 Application Database Settings View

Application Database Settings: Editing Settings Tab(Continued)

Option Setting Description Applications

Sound on Tape track If two channels are selected for SOT, Avid Instinct
2 specifies which track of the source clip MediaCentral
is mapped to SOT track 2. The default
is A5.

Voice Over track Specifies which track of the source clip Avid Instinct
is mapped to voice-over sound. The MediaCentral
default is A3.

Audio – Storyline audio Natural Sound track Specifies which track of the output Avid Instinct
patching 1 sequence is mapped to NAT track 1. MediaCentral
The default is A1.

Natural Sound track If two channels are selected for NAT, Avid Instinct
2 specifies which track of the output MediaCentral
sequence is mapped to NAT track 2.
The default is A4.

Sound on Tape track Specifies which track of the output Avid Instinct
1 sequence is mapped to SOT track 1. MediaCentral
The default is A2.

Sound on Tape track If two channels are selected for SOT, Avid Instinct
2 specifies which track of the output MediaCentral
sequence is mapped to SOT track 2.
The default is A5.

Voice Over track Specifies which track of the output Avid Instinct
sequence is mapped to voice-over MediaCentral
sound. The default is A3.

Audio – general settings Media Creation Sets the workspace location used for Avid Instinct
workspace media clips created by users, such as Interplay Assist
voice-over recordings and clips created MediaCentral
during send-to-playback operations.
To view a list of available workspaces,
the user logged into the Interplay
Administrator must have a matching
username and password on the Avid
shared-storage system.The list shows
all workspaces to which the logged-in
user has read/write access.
If you list shared-storage servers for
Avid ISIS Authentication, the servers
that you specify determine which
workspaces are displayed. Make sure
these server names are correctly
entered. See “Setting Avid ISIS
Authentication” on page 94. If these
are not correctly entered, the Media
Creation workspace setting might be
grayed out.

174
 Application Database Settings View

Application Database Settings: Editing Settings Tab(Continued)

Option Setting Description Applications

Audio sample rate Sets the audio sample rate for audio Avid Instinct
clips created in the application. The Interplay Assist
sample rate is used in send-to-playback MediaCentral
operations, and it must match the
setting on your playback device (for
example, an Avid AirSpeed®). The
default sample rate for DV resolutions
is 48 kHz. This setting is not
changeable.

Sample bit depth Sets the sample bit depth for audio Avid Instinct
clips created in the application, such as Interplay Assist
voice-over recordings and audio MediaCentral
mixdowns. The more bits used to
sample the audio, the more accurately
the amplitude is represented by the
clip. The sample rate is used in send-
to-playback operations, and it must
match the setting on your playback
device (for example, an Avid
AirSpeed). The default is 16 bits.

Ducking [-dB] Allows you to specify the amount of Avid Instinct

audio ducking (automatic lowering of MediaCentral
audio gain in background audio). The
default is 12 dB.

Audio file format Sets the audio file format to PCM. Not Avid Instinct
changeable. Interplay Assist
MediaCentral

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 Application Database Settings View

Application Database Settings: Editing Settings Tab(Continued)

Option Setting Description Applications

Dynamic Relink Enables or disables the Dynamic Avid Instinct

Relink feature (for MultiRez editing). Interplay Assist
If Dynamic Relink is “true,” all relink
settings in the Send to Playback option
are enabled; if Dynamic Relink is
“false,” these settings are disabled,
with the exception Audio Mixdown
Mode. The default for Dynamic Relink
is “not set.”

n You can enable and disable

Dynamic Relink only at the top
level of your database. You
cannot enable or disable
Dynamic Relink at the folder
level.
If Dynamic Relink is “true,” all relink
settings in the Instinct/Assist User
Settings are enabled as well. For
information about user settings, see
“Setting Instinct/Assist User Options”
on page 186.

n This setting does not apply to

MediaCentral. Dynamic relink
is configured in the
MediaCentral UX System
Settings (Playback Service).

Send to playback Target resolution, Sets a resolution for output to a Avid Instinct
primary playback device. Interplay Assist

n If dynamic relink is enabled, this

field is enabled and you must
select an option. The resolutions
that are available depend on the
resolutions available in the
Resolutions tab in the Property
Layout view.

n For MediaCentral, the target

resolution is set in a profile
created by the MediaCentral
Administrator.

Target resolution, Sets a resolution to use for a second Avid Instinct

secondary playback device.

Secondary target Leave the field blank to send a Avid Instinct

field sequence to playback on the primary
device. Enter a value to send the
sequence to the secondary playback
device.

n Story fields are set in

Avid Instinct.

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 Application Database Settings View

Application Database Settings: Editing Settings Tab(Continued)

Option Setting Description Applications

Audio Mixdown Sets the mixdown mode used for send- Avid Instinct
Mode to-playback operations: Interplay Assist
• Mono — Maps to a center pan,
which creates a mono mixdown of
all audio tracks and outputs the
resulting track to two channels
when sent to playback. This results
in two identical channels of audio,
each containing the original audio
tracks.
• Stereo — Maps to a left/right
alternating pan (odd tracks on one
channel, even tracks on the other
channel), creates a stereo mixdown
of all audio tracks, and outputs the
resulting two tracks to two
channels when sent to playback.
This results in two channels of
audio. For Avid Instinct, the default
mapping is NAT/VOICE tracks
(A1/A3) on one channel and the
SOT track (A2) on the other
channel. You specify how tracks
are mapped in the Audio -
Storyline Audio Patching settings.
• Direct Out — Does not combine
audio in any way; all audio tracks
remain as they are in the source
media, which creates separate
output channels for each audio
track in the source media when it is
sent to playback. Select this option
to retain the greatest flexibility to
do further audio manipulation after
the source media is sent to the
playback device.
The default mixdown mode is Mono.

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 Application Database Settings View

Application Database Settings: Editing Settings Tab(Continued)

Option Setting Description Applications

Audio Target Sets an audio resolution for output to a Avid Instinct

Resolution playback device. Currently, the only Interplay Assist
option is PCM.
Sample Rate and Bit Depth: sets the
resolution of the source audio for audio
mixdowns.

n If dynamic relink is enabled, you

must set the audio target
resolution to PCM and select a
Sample Rate and Bit Depth.
If the working resolution differs from
the target resolution, audio clips relink
to the target resolution when they are
sent to playback. However, if the
settings on the playback device differ
from the target resolution, the clips
convert to the playback resolution after
relinking.

Prepare Editor For future use.

Sequences for
Review

Audio Effects Dissolve Duration Sets the length of an audio dissolve in Avid Instinct
(frames) frames. For example, to create a MediaCentral
default dissolve of 2 frames (the
default), type 2.

Center-Panned If enabled, maps SOT and VOICE Avid Instinct

Sound on Tape and sounds as center-panned (played on MediaCentral (Voice
Voice Over both channels). This effect applies to Over only)
both Mono and Stereo Mixdown
modes.

Auto Reservation Duration [h] Allows you to set a default duration (in Avid Instinct
hours) for auto reservations. If you do Interplay Assist
not want auto reservation on a folder, MediaCentral UX
set the duration to zero. The default
duration is 24 hours.
There are three situations that trigger
an automatic reservation:
• Capturing a master clip to the
Interplay Window
• Checking in a new or modified
asset from a bin
• Checking in a new or modified
sequence from MediaCentral

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 Application Database Settings View

Application Database Settings: Editing Settings Tab(Continued)

Option Setting Description Applications

Checkin and Checkout Use background (Disabled by default). Enabling this Avid editing systems
checkin from editors feature lets a Media Composer user
check in clips and sequences to
Interplay Production by using a
background process. This allows you
to continue working on your project
while the application checks in your
work to Interplay.
Before you can use background
checkin, you must ensure that bin
indexing is enabled. In Media
Composer, open the Find window (Edit
> Find). The Bin Index status light at
the bottom of the window should be
green or partially green. If not, click
Settings and click the Start Indexing
button.

Check in bins when Allows you to set the default behavior Avid editing systems
closing for checking in media objects from
open bins to the Interplay database
when closing your Avid editing
application. The default is “Ask user.”

n This setting does not apply to

Avid Instinct or Avid Assist.

Update restrictions Reserved for future use. Avid editing systems

on checkout

Update master clip (Enabled by default). A subclip’s AAF Avid editing systems
during subclip file includes metadata (user properties,
checkout frame locators, and restrictions) for the
master clip that the subclip is
referencing. By default, when a subclip
is checked out, updated information in
the referenced master clip is merged
into the metadata of the master clip in
the subclip's AAF.

n Starting with Interplay Production v3.6, the MediaCentral Playback Service settings and MCS
Messaging Settings are displayed in a new view, MediaCentral Platform Services. For more
information, see “MediaCentral Platform Services Settings” on page 167.

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 Application Database Settings View

Setting Audio Mixing Defaults for Access, Assist, and MediaCentral | UX

The Audio Mixing Defaults in the Application Defaults tab apply to Interplay Assist and Avid
MediaCentral UX v2.1 and later.
• For Interplay Assist, the settings apply to the Local Audio Mixing controls, which let you edit
audio settings for clips or subclips that you load in the Monitor. Adjustments that you make with
these controls apply only when you play clips, subclips, or shotlists in Interplay Assist. For more
information, see the Interplay Assist User’s Guide.
• For MediaCentral UX, the settings apply to Audio pane controls for basic sequences, clips, and
subclips. Adjustments that you make with these controls apply only when you play these assets
in MediaCentral UX. For more information, see the Avid MediaCentral | UX User’s Guide.

These settings apply to the entire database only. You cannot set them for individual folders.

The following illustration shows audio tracks 1 through 16 enabled, with left/right alternating pan
(the initial default setting). Buttons for enabled tracks display a green icon.

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 Application Database Settings View

To set audio mixing defaults for Interplay Access, Interplay Assist, and MediaCentral (basic
sequences):
1. In the Application Settings section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Application
Database Settings icon.
2. Click the Application Defaults tab.
3. Select the Enable Audio Mixing Defaults option so that a green check mark is displayed.
4. For each track that you want to enable, click the corresponding button, so that the button has a
green icon.
5. For each track, select Left, Mono, or Right to assign the track to an output channel (pan setting).
6. Click Apply.

Sending a Source to Playback in Interplay Assist

The target settings for Send to Playback depend on the folder in which a loaded shotlist exists. The
following sections describe how Interplay Assist uses target settings when sending a source to
playback.

Settings in the Interplay Administrator

You set the target audio and video resolution for a folder in the Interplay Administrator. If you have
Dynamic Relink enabled in a workgroup, settings for audio and video target resolutions are enabled
and required in the Interplay Administrator. You should set target resolutions for the root folder.
Subfolders inherit this setting. You can set different target resolutions for subfolders that override the
settings inherited from the root folder.

The following illustration shows DNxHD 1080 115-120-145 and PCM set as target resolutions on
the database root folder.

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 Application Database Settings View

Sending a Source to Playback

If you send a source to playback (a clip, subclip, or sequence) and a shotlist is open, the send to
playback operation uses the target resolution of the folder that holds the shotlist.

If a shotlist is not open, the send to playback operation uses the target resolution that is set at the
database root. If this resolution is not what you want to use for the source, you need to create or open
a shotlist in a folder that has the desired settings.

To make it easier to select target resolution settings to use when sending a Source to playback, you
can create a set of template shotlists and folders, each in a folder that has been set with the target
resolutions. You can then do one or both of the following:
• Create shortcuts to the folders
• Create the template shotlists with names that are easily searched, for example,
TRES_DNxHD1080, TRES_MPEG50, and so on.

Then, before you send a source to playback, use a shortcut or search to load the appropriate shotlist.

Setting the Shotlist Start Timecode for Interplay Assist

An administrator can set the default starting timecode for shotlists that are created in Interplay Assist.
The default starting timecode for shotlists is 01;00;00;00 (drop frame) or 01:00:00:00 (non-drop
frame). For example, you can use this setting to change the starting timecode hour from 01 to 00.

This setting applies to the entire database only. You cannot set it for individual folders.

For Interplay Assist, you set the default starting timecode as Drop Frame or Non-Drop Frame in the
Interplay Administrator. If you select Drop Frame, and if the frame rate of the first clip in the shotlist
supports drop-frame timecode (for example, 29.97 fps), the timecode will be drop-frame. If you
select Non-Drop Frame, or the first clip in the shotlist does not support drop-frame timecode, the
default timecode will be non-drop-frame. You can mix drop-frame and non-drop-frame clips in the
same shotlist.

n Interplay Assist users can change the starting timecode for an individual shotlist by using the
command Edit > Edit Shotlist Start Timecode.

To set the shotlist start timecode:

1. Start Interplay Administrator and log on to the database for which you want to set the shotlist
start timecode.
2. In the Application Settings section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Application
Database Settings icon.
3. Click the Application Defaults tab.
4. Select the database (AvidWG).
5. For the Shotlist Start Timecode option, enter the timecode in the format HH:MM:SS.
You cannot enter a default starting frame.
6. For Interplay Assist, specify the Default NTSC Shotlist Format as Drop Frame or Non-Drop
Frame.
7. Click Apply.

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 Application Database Settings View

Setting an Automatic Timeout for Interplay Assist and Avid Instinct

An Interplay administrator has the option of letting Interplay Assist and Avid Instinct automatically
time out after a specified period of inactivity. This feature helps in license management, because it
enables an unused license to be freed up without the administrator manually finding and closing
inactive applications on user desktops.

If a timeout period is set, and the application does not detect any activity during that period, the
application displays a message that asks if you want to quit. Click Yes to quit, or click No to keep the
application open. If you do not click Yes or No, the application quits in twenty seconds.

The default setting is one hour. This setting applies to the entire database.

To set the timeout period:

1. Start Interplay Administrator and log on to the database for which you want to set the automatic
timeout.
2. In the Application Settings section of the Interplay Administrator, click the Application Database
Settings icon.
3. Click the Application Defaults tab.
4. Select the database (AvidWG).
5. In the Assist/Instinct - Defaults section, enter a value in hours for the Automatic Timeout option.
Decimal values are allowed. For example, for a timeout period of one and a half hours, enter:
1.5
If you do not want a timeout period, enter 0 (zero).
6. Click Apply.
The timeout period begins the next time you launch the application.

Configuring the Frame Locators Display

The Frame Locators tab in the Object Inspector displays information about locators associated with
an Avid asset. Administrators and users can configure which attributes (as columns) are displayed in
the Frame Locators tab. Administrators can select a default set of columns in the Interplay
Administrator, and users can change the default settings in Interplay Access.

You can display the following columns:

Frame Locators Default Setting in

Column Interplay Administrator

Timecode Always selected

Comment Always selected

Track Selected by default

User Selected by default

Color Selected by default

UID (Unique Identifier) Selected by default

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 Application Database Settings View

The ability to configure which columns you display can be useful if you use locator information in
another application. You can export locator information in various formats or you can copy rows of
information and paste them into another application by using your desktop copy and paste
commands.

To configure the default display in the Interplay Administrator:

1. Open the Interplay Administrator and log in to the database for which you want to set the default
display.
2. In the Application Settings section, click Application Database Settings.
3. Click the Application Defaults tab.
4. In the Access Frame Locators View section, select the columns that you want to display in the
Frame Locators tab.
The Timecode and Comment columns are always displayed.
5. Click Apply.

To override the default display in Interplay Access:

1. Open Interplay Access and log in to a database.
2. Select Preferences > Options
3. Click the View Settings tab.
4. In the Frame Locators View section, select “Use local column configuration.”
5. Select the columns you want to display, or deselect the columns you do not want to display, then
click OK.
6. Refresh Interplay Access (select View > Refresh or perform an action).

Configuring the Restrictions Display

The Restrictions tab in the Object Inspector displays information about restrictions associated with
an Avid asset. For more information, see the Interplay Access User’s Guide.

Columns in the Restrictions tab always display Start Time, End Time, and Comment. Administrators
and users can configure which attributes (as columns) are displayed in the Restrictions tab.
Administrators can select a default set of columns in the Interplay Administrator, and users can
change the default settings in Interplay Access.

You can display the following columns:

Restrictions Tab Column Default Setting in Interplay Administrator

Start Time Always selected

End Time Always selected

Comment Always selected

Username Selected by default

Color Selected by default

Start Frame Not selected by default

Duration Not selected by default

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 Application Database Settings View

Restrictions Tab Column Default Setting in Interplay Administrator

Deleted Selected by default

n If the Deleted option is selected, deleted restrictions are shown

in addition to current restrictions. Deleted restrictions are listed
as True in the Deleted column, and current restrictions are
listed as False.

Modified Date Selected by default

UID (Unique Identifier) Selected by default

n A user can view restrictions in Interplay Access, Interplay Assist, Media Composer, and
MediaCentral UX, but can create, delete, or modify restrictions only in Interplay Assist and
MediaCentral UX. An administrator sets permission to create and modify restrictions. See “Instinct/
Assist User Settings” on page 188.

To configure the default display in the Interplay Administrator:

1. Open the Interplay Administrator and log in to the database for which you want to set the default
display.
2. In the Application Settings section, click Application Database Settings.
3. Click the Application Defaults tab.
4. In the Access Restrictions View section, select the columns that you want to display in the
Restrictions tab.

The Start Time, End Time, and Comment columns are always displayed.
5. Click Apply.

To override the default display in Interplay Access:

1. Open Interplay Access and log in to a database.
2. Select Preferences > Options (Windows) or Interplay Access > Preferences (Macintosh).
3. Click the View Settings tab.
4. In the Restrictions View section, select “Use local column configuration.”

5. Select the columns you want to display, or deselect the columns you do not want to display, then
click OK.
6. Refresh Interplay Access (select View > Refresh or perform an action).

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 Media Composer | Cloud Settings

Media Composer | Cloud Settings

This view is used to configure upload settings for Media Composer Cloud users. For more
information, see the Media Composer | Cloud Installation and Configuration Guide.

You can set options for the Media Composer Cloud Settings view as described in the following table.
These settings affect how remote upload functions when you use Media Composer Cloud.

Media Composer Cloud Settings

Option Setting Description

Upload workspaces Add Select a workspace from the menu to use for your remote
upload operations. The added workspace appears in the
Active list.

Upload workspaces Active Lists all active Interplay workspaces used for remote
upload.

Upload Proxy 800Kbps When connected to an Interplay v2.7 or later workgroup,

you can choose one of two bit rates for H.264 proxy
2Mbps
media: 2 Mbps or 800 Kbps.
When connected to an Interplay v2.5 or v2.6 workgroup,
800 Kbps is automatically selected.

Remote Download Enabled/Disabled When the Interplay Administrator is connected to an

Interplay v3.5 or later workgroup, an administrator can
enable or disable remote download.

Setting Instinct/Assist User Options

In the Instinct/Assist User Settings view, you can set permissions for various editing functions on the
group or user level (working resolutions for video and audio are not available for groups). These
settings apply to all folders in the database, so in some cases the settings apply to users on Avid
editing systems (NewsCutter, Media Composer) who are checking Avid assets into the Interplay
database.

For information about these settings, see “Instinct/Assist User Settings” on page 188.

The settings in the following illustration are for an Instinct or Assist user who has permission to use
only low-resolution MPEG2 media. In this example, most settings are grayed out, which indicate that
they are inherited from the user group. For this user, the working video resolution is MPEG2-MPML
NTSC and the “Can use higher resolutions” setting is No. The working audio resolution is MP2.

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 Setting Instinct/Assist User Options

To change the Instinct/Assist User settings:

1. In the Application Settings section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Instinct/
Assist User Settings icon.
2. In the Users tree on the left, select a group of users or an individual user.
The settings for the selected user or user group area are displayed in the pane on the right.
3. Do one of the following:
t Select an option from the drop-down list or by clicking an option button.
t Type a setting in the text box.
If a setting is grayed out (inherited), click the Edit button to enable editing

Edit button

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 Setting Instinct/Assist User Options

4. Select among the following options for each setting:

Option Description

Inherited The user inherits this setting from the group it is a part of.

Yes Grants the user this setting.

No Denies the user this setting.

If you select Inherited, and then click Apply, the option changes to the inherited setting and the
options are grayed out.
5. Click Apply.
A notification box tells you whether or not the changes have been successfully applied. Users
who are currently logged on need to log out and log in again to see the changes.
6. Click Dismiss to close the notification box.
If you do not click Dismiss or the close box, after a few seconds the notification box minimizes
to a green bar at the bottom of the dialog box. To view the notification again, click the green bar.
The green bar is available for approximately 45 seconds.

To undo a setting:
1. Click the red X button.
This button appears only if you have explicitly set the value of the setting. Clicking the red X
button clears the setting, but does not revert the setting to the previous value.
2. Click Apply.

Instinct/Assist User Settings

The following table describes options for the Instinct/Assist User Settings. The table includes
columns that specify which applications the setting applies to.

Media
Setting Instinct Assist Access Composer MediaCentral Description

Can send to x x If yes, allows the selected user or

playback group to send material to a
playback device.

Can modify x x x If yes, allows the selected user or

column properties group to modify the properties of
an asset (such as the name or a
comment). If an editing
application user regularly checks
assets into Interplay, select “yes.”
Administrators and folder owners
have this right set by default.
Other users who have this right
must also have a read/write or
read/write/delete role for at least
one folder that contains the asset.

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 Setting Instinct/Assist User Options

Media
Setting Instinct Assist Access Composer MediaCentral Description

Can create new x x x If yes, allows the selected user or

column properties group to add new properties to an
asset. If an editing application
user regularly checks assets into
Interplay, select “yes.”
Administrators and folder owners
have this right set by default.
Other users who have this right
must also have a read/write or
read/write/delete role for at least
one folder that contains the asset.

Can see other x x If yes, allows the selected user or

users’ logs group to see locators and
restrictions set by other users.

Can use higher x x If yes, allows the selected user or

resolutions group to work with a higher
quality than the working
resolution for video and audio
clips if the working resolution is
not available. If this option is set
to No and the only available
resolution is higher than the
working resolution, the user sees
Media Offline in the Video
monitor.
If you want a user to work with
any available media, select “yes”
for this option and “Can use
lower resolutions.”

Can use lower x x If yes, allows the selected user or

resolutions group to work with a lower
quality for video and audio clips
than the working resolution if the
working resolution is not
available. If this option is set to
No and the only available
resolution is lower than the
working resolution, the user sees
Media Offline in the Video
monitor.
If you want a user to work with
any available media, select “yes”
for this option and “Can use
higher resolutions.”

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 Setting Instinct/Assist User Options

Media
Setting Instinct Assist Access Composer MediaCentral Description

Can create locators x x x x If yes, allows the selected user or

group to create locators. If no, a
user of an Avid editing
application can still create
locators for an asset, but can
check in only the asset, not the
locator metadata (an error
message is displayed).
In most cases, if you want a user
to create locators, select "yes" for
both "Can create locators" and
"Can modify locators." Both
settings are needed because
adding text is one aspect of
modifying a locator.
Administrators and owners have
the ability to create locators by
default. Other users must have
“Can create locators” set to “yes”
and must also have a read/write
or read/write/delete role for at
least one folder that contains the
asset.

Can modify x x x x If yes, allows the selected user or

locators group to modify or delete
locators. If no, a user of an Avid
editing application can still
modify locators on an asset, but
can check in only the asset, not
the locator metadata (an error
message is displayed).
Administrators and owners have
the ability to modify locators by
default. Other users must have
“Can modify locators” set to
“yes” and must also have a read/
write or read/write/delete role for
at least one folder that contains
the asset.

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 Setting Instinct/Assist User Options

Media
Setting Instinct Assist Access Composer MediaCentral Description

Can create x x If yes, allows the selected user or

restrictions group to mark a section of a clip
with a restriction locator. In most
cases, if you want a user to create
restrictions, select “yes” for both
“Can create restrictions” and
“Can modify restrictions.”
Adding text is considered
modifying a restriction.
Administrators and owners have
this right set by default. Other
users who have this right must
also have a read/write or read/
write/delete role for at least one
folder that contains the asset.

Can modify x x If yes, allows the selected user or

restrictions group to modify or delete a
restriction.
Administrators and owners have
this right set by default. Other
users who have this right must
also have a read/write or read/
write/delete role for at least one
folder that contains the asset.

Video Settings: x x If Dynamic Relink is enabled,

Working specifies the default working
Resolution video resolution for the selected
user. You cannot apply this
setting to a group.

Audio Settings: x x If Dynamic Relink is enabled,

Working specifies the default working
Resolution audio resolution for the selected
user. If the working resolution is
set to PCM, you can select a
sample rate and a bit depth for
audio clips. You cannot apply
this setting to a group.
This setting is also used for
voice-over recording in Avid
Instinct.

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 Pro Tools Plug-Ins Settings

Pro Tools Plug-Ins Settings

You can use Interplay Pro Tools Plug-ins to pass audio files back and forth between Avid video
editing systems and Pro Tools audio editing and mixing systems.

As of Interplay v3.0, Pro Tools Interplay Integration Plug-Ins for Interplay are no longer available on
the Interplay Client Installer. For more information about using Pro Tools with Interplay, go to the
Knowledge Base page titled “Avid Interplay Requirements with Pro Tools.”

192
7 Interplay Services

The Interplay Services settings include the Workgroup Properties and Service Configuration views,
which are identical to parts of the Avid Service Framework. For example, the following illustration
shows the Service Configuration view examining the Interplay Media Indexer settings for a computer
in the Interplay workgroup. You can use the Service Configuration view to configure services such as
the Interplay Media Indexers for all the clients in your workgroup from one computer.

For more information about the Interplay Services, see the Avid Service Framework User's Guide or
Interplay Best Practices.

n Avid Workgroup Properties and Avid Service Configuration are also available from the Interplay
Access View menu.
8 Troubleshooting

The following topics provide information for troubleshooting problems with the Interplay Engine
server:
• Troubleshooting Login Problems
• Troubleshooting Client Connection Problems
• Optimizing Interplay Performance
• Troubleshooting Firewalls and Interplay
• Troubleshooting the Server Execution User Account
• Shutting Down or Locking the Server Process

Also see “Creating a Metadata-Only Backup for Customer Support” on page 47.

Troubleshooting Login Problems

If you are not able to log in to the Interplay Administrator even when you are sure you provided a
correct user name and password, verify if the Central Configuration Server for the server is set
correctly. For information about the Central Configuration Server, see “Understanding the Central
Configuration Server” on page 87.

To verify if the Central Configuration Server is set correctly:

1. Click Start, then click Run.
2. Type regedit in the text box.
The Registry Editor opens.
3. Navigate to the following folder:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Avid Technology\
Workgroup\Avid Workgroup\DatabaseServer
The string value CMS should specify the computer name of the Central Configuration Server.
4. If this value is not correct, shut down the Interplay Engine by locking the server (see “Locking
and Unlocking the Server” on page 73).
5. In the Registry Editor, double-click CMS, type a valid entry, and click OK.
6. Unlock the server.
 Troubleshooting Client Connection Problems

Troubleshooting Client Connection Problems

This topic provides suggestions for settings to check if a client system is not connecting properly.

Network Configuration
• Check the TCP/IP connection by typing ping <servername> in the Command Prompt on the
client.

Server Settings
• Check if there is a user account for the user. See “Managing Users, User Groups, and User
Rights” on page 106.
• Check if the password is expired. See “Viewing and Setting Attributes” on page 109.
• Check that the user has access to the database (a role other than No Access).
• Make sure the user authorization provider includes the user account. See “Setting User
Authentication Providers and Importing Users” on page 91.

Client Settings
• Reinstall Interplay Access. This client application hosts Interplay Access, Interplay
Administrator, and the connection package for any connection to Interplay.

Optimizing Interplay Performance

This topic provides some basic items to check if you are running into unexplained slowness (either
server or client side) with Interplay:
• Make sure that the server meets the current specifications. See the Interplay ReadMe.
• Make sure that the client is running on a system that meets specifications.
• Run the client from the server machine.
If Interplay Access runs well on the server machine, it might indicate that the other clients are
communicating slowly with the server because of a network problem. Start the client on the
server machine and see if you have the same problems.
• Check for other processes running on the server machine.
Most installations should run the Interplay Engine on a dedicated machine. If you are relying on
the server machine to perform other duties as well, you might have performance issues. For
example, some virus scanners can lock files on a server, and the Interplay Engine waits until the
file is unlocked before it can be moved, renamed, deleted, and so on.
• Check the speed of the LAN between the Interplay Engine and the shared storage server.
Make sure that the Interplay Engine and the Avid shared-storage server are connected
appropriately; for example, the Interplay Engine needs to read the files to create thumbnails. If
the connection is slow, performance can drop.
• Check the speed of file operations of the Interplay Engine on the shared storage server.
Make sure that the Interplay Engine can move data quickly on the Avid shared-storage system.
Log in to the Interplay Engine server and use Windows Explorer to transfer files from an Avid
shared-storage workspace to the Interplay Engine server. The speed performance of these
operations should be independent of file size and instantaneous. Make sure the connectivity and
credentials are correct.

195
 Troubleshooting Firewalls and Interplay

Troubleshooting Firewalls and Interplay

Firewalls on client machines interfere with Interplay’s TCP/IP communications.

Symptoms
• The list of servers does not appear, for example, when you are connecting to a new database.
• Connection establishment to the server fails.

Cause

These problems can be caused by personal firewalls installed on the client machine. A typical
example for such a firewall is ZoneAlarm® from ZoneLabs™ or the Windows XP firewall.

These applications intercept all outgoing and incoming network traffic and decide whether to let the
traffic go through or block it. The effect is that applications like Interplay fail to connect to their
servers.

Typically when the client looks for available Interplay Engines in the network, no servers can be
retrieved. When the client is looking for servers, a UDP broadcast is sent out on port 8321.

Solution

Usually these personal firewalls can be configured to allow all network traffic for specific
applications. This should be done for Interplay locally or for Internet access depending on which
servers Interplay should connect to.

For information about ports used by Interplay, see “Required TCP/IP Ports” on page 217 and
“Interplay Port Usage” in the Interplay Software Installation and Configuration Guide.

Troubleshooting the Server Execution User Account

The Server Execution User is a Windows operating system user account that is used only to run the
Interplay Engine processes. You specify the user name and password for the Server Execution User
when you install the Interplay Engine on the server. The following topics provide more information
about the Server Execution User account and information about how to recreate the account.

n The Server Execution User account is different from the Interplay Administrator account. The Server
Execution User account is used to run the Interplay Engine processes.The Interplay Administrator
account is used to manage users and the database.

The following topics provide more information about the Server Execution User account:
• Creating the Server Execution User Account
• Determining the Server Execution User Name
• Re-creating the Server Execution User

Creating the Server Execution User Account

When you install the Interplay Engine software you must specify the user name and password of the
Server Execution User account. The Server Execution User is a Windows operating system user
account that is used only to run the Interplay Engine processes.

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 Troubleshooting the Server Execution User Account

c When you install the Interplay Engine or the Interplay Archive Engine, do not select the
default Server Execution User. Create a custom user instead. The default user account is
AVID_WORKGROUP_USER. Do not use this account.

You have the following options for creating the Server Execution User:
• If your Interplay system is joined to a Windows domain, you can create a domain user (for
example, “IPEngine”). The Interplay Engine installer will associate the appropriate permissions
with the account. If you want to run the Interplay Engine within your domain and also want to
automatically make use of domain user management, such as Windows Domain or LDAP, you
must specify a domain user as the Server Execution User.
For Interplay Engine failover cluster systems, you must specify a Windows domain user.
• You have the option of allowing the Interplay Engine installer to create the account. Select a
name before the installation and specify the name and a password during the installation. The
installer will create a local user in the Administrators group with the appropriate permissions.
• You can also create a local Administrator account manually and specify that account during the
installation. The account must have local administration rights on the operating system for the
Interplay Engine server (both nodes on a cluster system). The account must have the following
local security policy settings set to enabled:
- Act as part of the operating system
- Back up files and directories
- Restore files and directories
- Adjust memory quotas for a process
- Log on as a service
- Increase scheduling priorities
- Manage auditing and security log
- Impersonate a client after authentication
- Debug programs

An account with an identical user name and password must have read/write access to the Avid shared
storage workspaces that contain media. Use the Avid ISIS Administration tool to create this account.

Ideally the Server Execution user should be an account that users do not use to log onto the system.
This prevents accidental changes to the Server User Account during normal administration duties.
For example, if someone changes the password by mistake, users might not be able to access the
Interplay database.

For security reasons, do not use the Interplay Engine server operating system Administrator account.
Create a unique account that you use only as the Server Execution User. For example, you can create
an administrative account called “IPEngine.” Avoiding the word Administrator can help indicate that
this account is not used for normal administrative tasks.

n The Server Execution User account is different from the Interplay Administrator account. The Server
Execution User account is used to run the Interplay Engine processes. The Interplay Administrator
account is used to manage users and the database.

Determining the Server Execution User Name

If necessary, you can check the user name of the Server Execution User account.

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 Troubleshooting the Server Execution User Account

To determine the Server Execution User name:

1. Right-click My Computer and select Manage.
2. Expand the Services and Applications branch, then click Services.
3. Right-click Avid Workgroup TCP COM Bridge and select Properties.
4. Click the Log On tab.
The Log On tab contains the name of the Server Execution User.
On a cluster system, the Server Execution User name and password must match the Windows
user account that is running the Avid Workgroup Engine Monitor. On a cluster system, perform
the next steps.
5. (Cluster only) Right-click Avid Workgroup Engine Monitor, select Properties, and click the Log
On tab.
The Log On tab displays the Windows user account that is running the Avid Workgroup Engine
Monitor.
6. (Cluster only) Check the following registry key value on each node:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Avid Technology\Workgroup\
Avid Workgroup Server
Check the ExecutionUser value. The Interplay Engine installer uses this value as the default
value for the Server Execution User.
If the account names are different, it means that the Server Execution User has been changed at
some point since the original Interplay Engine installation. Use the Custom install option when
you upgrade the Interplay Engine software and decide if the displayed user is the name you want
to use, or supply a different name and password. Use a regular domain name, such as
“MYDOMAIN\ServerUser” and not the fully qualified domain name, such as
“MYDOMAIN.com\ServerUser.”
If you don’t know the correct password for the Server Execution User account, use
NXNServerUser.exe to change the user and password before you perform the upgrade. See “Re-
creating the Server Execution User” on page 198.

Re-creating the Server Execution User

If you need to re-create the Server Execution User, use the NXNServerUser.exe tool.

To re-create the Server Execution User account:

1. Run the tool NxNServerUser.exe on the Interplay Engine server.
The tool is located in the following directory on the Interplay Server:
Installers\AssetMgr\Tools\NxNServerUser
2. Select Custom User.
3. Type the name, such as MYDOMAIN\IPEngine, and the password of the account.
Make sure that this name exactly matches the user name and password of an account in the Avid
shared-storage Administration tool that has read/write access to the appropriate workspaces (see
“Creating the Server Execution User Account” on page 196).

n Make sure that you use the correct password for the specified user because the tool cannot verify the
password.

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 Shutting Down or Locking the Server Process

The tool changes the execution user settings for the following servers and services:
- Avid Interplay Engine Server: The Avid Interplay Engine Server runs under the specified
account. The NxNServerUser tool changes the corresponding DCOM settings. You can
verify that the new user has been set using the dcomcnfg tool as described in “Avid Interplay
Engine Server” on page 218.
- Avid Interplay TCP/COM Bridge: The Avid Interplay TCP/COM Bridge Service runs under
the specified account. You can verify that the new user has been set in the service control
panel tool as described in “Required TCP/IP Ports” on page 217.
- Impersonation of Apache® Modules: The Apache modules that need to access files on the
file server are impersonated to the specified user account (see “Avid Workgroup HTTP
Server” on page 219 and “Avid Workgroup Preview Server Service” on page 220). You can
verify that the new user and the encrypted password has been set in the following registry
keys:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Avid Technology\Workgroup\Avid
Workgroup Server\ExecutionUser
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Avid Technology\Workgroup\Avid
Workgroup Server\ExecutionSettings
- (Cluster Only) Avid Interplay Engine Monitor: The Avid Interplay Engine Monitor Service
runs under the specified account. You can verify that the new user has been set in the service
control panel.
4. Restart the server.
The Avid Interplay Engine processes have all necessary access rights.

Shutting Down or Locking the Server Process

You might need to shut down or lock the Avid Interplay Engine Server process in certain
circumstances, such as low disk space conditions (see “Moving a Database Under Low Disk Space
Conditions” on page 63). For more information about the process, see “Avid Interplay Engine
Server” on page 218.

To shut down or lock the Avid Interplay Engine Server process, do one of the following:
t Lock the server using NxNServerLock.exe in the Avid Interplay Engine installation directory.
t Lock the server using the Lock Server view in the Interplay Administrator. See “Locking and
Unlocking the Server” on page 73.
t Shut down the server using NxNServerShutdown.exe in the Avid Interplay Engine installation
directory.

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9 Reuniting a Split Database

A split database refers to a configuration in which only the metadata database is stored on the
Interplay Engine. All other database files and folders are stored on an Avid shared-storage
workspace. Previous versions of this guide described how to create and manage a split database to
allow for a large number of file assets. This configuration is no longer recommended. Storing many
small files on ISIS workspaces is an inefficient use of ISIS storage and can lead to performance
problems. Customers with existing split databases can continue to use them but Avid does not
recommend creating new split databases.

The following topics describe the optional procedure of reuniting a split database:
• Preparing to Reunite a Split Database
• Reuniting a Split Database (AvidWG Only)
• Reuniting a Split Database (AvidWG and _InternalData)
• Configuring the workgroup.xml File

Preparing to Reunite a Split Database

The following illustrations show a correctly split database:
• The _Database folder is located in the AvidWG folder on the Interplay Engine server
• The remaining folders and files are located in the AvidWG folder on a shared storage workspace
 Preparing to Reunite a Split Database

The following illustration shows all database files located in the same AvidWG folder on the
Interplay Engine server.

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 Preparing to Reunite a Split Database

c In a correctly split database, the AvidWG folder on the Interplay Engine should contain only
the _Database folder. If the AvidWG folder on shared storage includes a _Database folder, do
not copy this folder to the Interplay Engine. Rename this folder _Database_UNUSED or
something similar before copying the other content to the Interplay Engine.

In some configurations, the _InternalData folder (which holds user metadata) might also be located
on the shared storage workspace, or might be split between the Interplay Engine and the shared
storage workspace. This folder should be located in \\IEServer\WG_Database$, for example,
D:\Workgroup_Databases, as shown in the following illustration.

Follow one of these procedures to reunite a split database:

• If the _InternalData folder is already located on the Interplay Engine, see “Reuniting a Split
Database (AvidWG Only)” on page 203.
• If the _InternalData folder is located on a shared storage workspace, or split between the
Interplay Engine and shared storage, see “Reuniting a Split Database (AvidWG and
_InternalData)” on page 205.

These procedures refer to two different types of backups:

• Interplay database backup: A backup copy of the Interplay database created by the automated
backup system built into the Interplay Engine. For more information, see “Creating and
Restoring Database Backups” on page 25.
• Archive database backup: A copy of the Interplay database manually created by using a third-
party tool that can handle long path names (longer than 256 characters). Two examples are
Robocopy (contained in rktools.exe, available on Microsoft.com) and 7-Zip. For more
information, see “Using an Archiving Tool for Backup” on page 33 and documentation for the
third-party tool.
If you create an archive backup, keep in mind that creating a complete archive backup can take
several hours. You must lock and deactivate the database before creating the archive. You can
save time by removing old backups from the _Backup folder, located by default in
\\IEServer\WG_Database$\AvidWG\_Backup.

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 Reuniting a Split Database (AvidWG Only)

Reuniting a Split Database (AvidWG Only)

To reunite a split database (AvidWG only):
1. If you are working on a cluster system, make sure that cluster services that provide the local S
drive are running.
2. Lock the database to make sure that no user can access it:
a. In the Database section of the Interplay Administrator window, click Lock/Unlock Database.
b. Select the database in the Unlocked Databases list.
c. Click Lock Database.
The database name appears in the Locked Databases list.
3. Deactivate the database:
a. In the Database section of the Interplay Administrator window, click Manage Databases.
b. Select the database name in the Databases list.
c. Click Deactivate.
The database name no longer appears in the Databases list.
4. If you do not have a complete Interplay database backup available, manually create an archive
backup of the database from both database locations:
- \\SharedStorageServer\WorkspaceName\AvidWG
- \\IEServer\WG_Database$\AvidWG
By default, this folder is
D:\Workgroup_Databases\AvidWG (non-cluster system)
S:\Workgroup_Databases\AvidWG (cluster system)
5. Copy the necessary files and folders from
\\SharedStorageServer\WorkspaceName\AvidWG
to
\\IEServer\WG_Database$\AvidWG
Windows Explorer cannot copy paths longer than 256 characters or Unicode names that are not
in the default operating system language. If the database includes either or both of these items,
use a tool such as Robocopy or 7-Zip.
The following table lists the files and folders that you need to copy. These files and folders are
illustrated in “Reuniting a Split Database” on page 200.

Copy from
\\SharedStorageServer\WorkspaceName\AvidWG
to
\\IEServer\WG_Database$\AvidWG

_Backup folder

_Buckets folder

_CheckIn folder

_Handover folder

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 Reuniting a Split Database (AvidWG Only)

Copy from
\\SharedStorageServer\WorkspaceName\AvidWG
to
\\IEServer\WG_Database$\AvidWG

_Import folder

_Master folder

_PropertyHandover folder

_PropertyStore folder

_AvidWG.nif

Aliasconfig.xml

AvidWG.pro

FolderLocations.xml

c In a correctly split database, the AvidWG folder on the Interplay Engine should contain only
the _Database folder. If the AvidWG folder on shared storage includes a _Database folder, do
not copy this folder to the Interplay Engine. Rename this folder _Database_UNUSED or
something similar before copying the other content to the Interplay Engine.

6. Delete or rename \\IEServer\WG_Database$\AvidWG\FolderLocations.xml.

7. Edit the workgroup.xml file to include only the following path:
\\IEServer\WG_Database$
See “Configuring the workgroup.xml File” on page 209.
8. Activate the database:
a. In the Interplay Administrator, click Manage Databases.
b. In the “Database (.pro) file to activate” text box, type the full UNC path to the .pro file,
which now resides on the Interplay Engine server. For example:
\\IEServer\WG_Database$\AvidWG\AvidWG.pro.
c. Make sure “Load Database on Activation” is selected, and click Activate.
If the database is activated, its name is displayed in the Databases list. The database is
automatically unlocked.
9. Check the backup location in the Schedule Backups view of the Interplay Administrator.
If the _Backup folder was located on shared storage, it is now located on the Interplay Engine. If
necessary, change the location to the Interplay Engine or to another external file server.
10. In the Server Settings view of the Interplay Administrator, make sure the path for the “Root
folder for data” matches the path for the “Root folder for database.”
This location is used if you create a new database.

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 Reuniting a Split Database (AvidWG and _InternalData)

11. Test the setup by doing the following:

a. Open one Interplay Access client.
b. Connect to the database and import a new file asset.
c. Lock and unlock the database.
d. After reconnecting to the database with Interplay Access, check if the file is still in the
database.
12. If the test is successful, delete or rename the folder
\\SharedStorageServer\WorkspaceName\AvidWG.

Reuniting a Split Database (AvidWG and _InternalData)

To reunite a split database (AvidWG and _InternalData):
1. If you are working on a cluster system, make sure that cluster services that provide the local S
drive are running.
2. Lock the database to make sure that no user can access it:
a. In the Database section of the Interplay Administrator window, click Lock/Unlock Database.
b. Select the database in the Unlocked Databases list.
c. Click Lock Database.
The database name appears in the Locked Databases list.
3. Deactivate the database:
a. In the Database section of the Interplay Administrator window, click Manage Databases.
b. Select the database name in the Databases list.
c. Click Deactivate.
The database name no longer appears in the Databases list.
4. In the Server Settings view of the Interplay Administrator, edith the path for the “Root folder for
data” to match the path for the “Root folder for database.”
This location is used if you create a new database.
5. Shut down the Interplay Engine services:
- On a cluster system, bring the Avid Workgroup Engine Monitor resource (not the resource
group) offline.
- On a non-cluster system, stop the services Avid Workgroup TCP COM Bridge and the
service Avid Workgroup Server Browser and run C:\Program Files\Avid\Avid Interplay
Engine\Server\NxNServerShutdown.exe.
For more information on Interplay Engine services, see “Avid Interplay Engine Servers and
Services” on page 217.

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 Reuniting a Split Database (AvidWG and _InternalData)

6. If you do not have a complete Interplay database backup available, manually create an archive
backup from both database locations:
- \\SharedStorageServer\WorkspaceName\AvidWG
- \\IEServer\WG_Database$\AvidWG
By default, this folder is
D:\Workgroup_Databases\AvidWG (non-cluster system)
S:\Workgroup_Databases\AvidWG (cluster system)
7. Copy the necessary files and folders from
\\SharedStorageServer\WorkspaceName\AvidWG
to
\\IEServer\WG_Database$\AvidWG
Windows Explorer cannot copy paths longer than 256 characters or Unicode names that are not
in the default operating system language. If the database includes either or both of these items,
use a tool such as Robocopy or 7-Zip.
The following table lists the files and folders that you need to copy. These files and folders are
illustrated in “Reuniting a Split Database” on page 200.

Copy from
\\SharedStorageServer\WorkspaceName\AvidWG
to
\\IEServer\WG_Database$\AvidWG

_Backup folder

_Buckets folder

_CheckIn folder

_Handover folder

_Import folder

_Master folder

_PropertyHandover folder

_PropertyStore folder

_AvidWG.nif

Aliasconfig.xml

AvidWG.pro

FolderLocations.xml

c In a correctly split database, the AvidWG folder on the Interplay Engine should contain only
the _Database folder. If the AvidWG folder on shared storage includes a _Database folder, do
not copy this folder to the Interplay Engine. Rename this folder _Database_UNUSED or
something similar before copying the other content to the Interplay Engine.

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 Reuniting a Split Database (AvidWG and _InternalData)

8. Use Windows or a tool that can copy long path names to copy the _InternalData folder from
\\SharedStorageServer\WorkspaceName
to
\\IEServer\WG_Database$
If the contents of the folder are split between the Interplay Engine and the shared storage
workspace, copy the files and folders listed in the following table.

Copy from
\\SharedStorageServer\WorkspaceName\_InternalData
to
\\IEServer\WG_Database$\_InternalData

_Backup folder

_Buckets folder

_CheckIn folder

_Handover folder

_Import folder

_Master folder

_PropertyHandover folder

_PropertyStore folder

_AvidWG.nif

Aliasconfig.xml

AvidWG.pro

FolderLocations.xml

c If the _InternalData folder on shared storage includes a _Database folder, do not copy this
folder to the Interplay Engine. Rename this folder _Database_UNUSED or something similar
before copying the other content to the Interplay Engine.

9. Delete or rename \\IEServer\WG_Database$\AvidWG\FolderLocations.xml.

10. Delete or rename \\IEServer\WG_Database$\_InternalData\FolderLocations.xml.
11. Edit the workgroup.xml file to include only the following path:
\\IEServer\WG_Database$
See “Configuring the workgroup.xml File” on page 209.
12. Open a Command Prompt window, type regedit, and navigate to the following:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Avid Technology\Workgroup\Avid
Workgroup\DatabaseServer

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 Reuniting a Split Database (AvidWG and _InternalData)

Check the UNC paths for RecentProject1 and RecentProject2. Both paths should show the
Interplay Engine server, as shown in the following illustration.

13. Start the Interplay Engine services:

- On a cluster system, bring the Avid Workgroup Engine Monitor resource (not the resource
group) online.
- On a non-cluster system, start the services Avid Workgroup TCP COM Bridge and the
service Avid Workgroup Server Browser.
14. Activate the database:
a. In the Interplay Administrator, click Manage Databases.
b. In the “Database (.pro) file to activate” text box, type the full UNC path to the .pro file,
which now resides on the Interplay Engine server. For example:
\\IEServer\WG_Database$\AvidWG\AvidWG.pro.
c. Make sure “Load Database on Activation” is selected, and click Activate.
If the database is activated, its name is displayed in the Databases list. The database is
automatically unlocked.
15. Check the backup location in the Schedule Backups view of the Interplay Administrator.
If the _Backup folder was located on shared storage, it is now located on the Interplay Engine. If
necessary, change the location to the Interplay Engine or to another external file server.
16. Test the setup by doing the following:
a. Open one Interplay Access client.
b. Connect to the database and import a new file asset.
c. Lock and unlock the database.
d. After reconnecting to the database with Interplay Access, check if the file is still in the
database.
17. If the test is successful, delete or rename the folder
\\SharedStorageServer\WorkspaceName\AvidWG.

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 Configuring the workgroup.xml File

Configuring the workgroup.xml File

When you reuniting a split database, you must edit the workgroup.xml file to remove the path for the
file repository share.

This file is located in the Interplay Engine installation directory, for example,
• C:\Program Files\Avid\Avid Interplay Engine\Data\Apache\conf\workgroup.xml (non-cluster
systems)
• S:\WorkgroupData\Apache\conf\workgroup.xml (cluster systems).

n On a cluster system, the following file might be installed on both nodes: C:\Program Files\Avid\Avid
Interplay Engine\Data\Apache\conf\workgroup.xml. These files are not currently used and do not
need to be edited.

The default database location that you specified during the Interplay Engine installation is published
through this file as a default. The following example shows the section of workgroup.xml that
includes the database location:

<filetransfer>

<path read="true" write="true”>

\\IEServer\WG_Database$

</path>

</filetransfer>

For IEServer, substitute the network name for the Interplay Engine server.

If the file repository was moved to a different location, such as a shared-storage workspace, this
location was published in this file as well. For example:

<filetransfer>

<path read="true" write="true”>

\\IEServer\WG_Database$

</path>

<path read="true" write="true”>

\\SharedStorageServer\WorkspaceName

</path>

</filetransfer>

When reuniting a split database, delete the path for SharedStorageServer\WorkspaceName. For
example, \\AAC-ISIS\File_Assets.

<path read="true" write="true”>

\\AAC-ISIS\File_Assets

</path>

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A Installed Components and Services

The following topics provide information about components and services that are installed as part of
the Interplay Administrator:
• Avid Interplay Engine Directory: Folders and Files
• Required TCP/IP Ports
• Avid Interplay Engine Servers and Services

Avid Interplay Engine Directory: Folders and Files

The following components are installed in the Avid Interplay Engine directory. By default, this
directory is created during installation as C:\Program Files\Avid\Avid Interplay Engine.
• Apache: This folder includes an Apache server to provide access to Preview images and to
provide client access. See “Apache Folder” on page 210.
• Data: This folder contains all server-relevant configuration and data files. See “Data Folder” on
page 212.
• Logs: This folder contains the log files written by the Interplay Engine. See “Logs” on page 213.
• NxN: This directory contains services and modules for the Apache server.
• PreviewServer: This directory contains a tool for cleaning the Preview Server cache. See
“Preview Server Folder” on page 216.
• Server: This directory contains all data to execute an Interplay Engine on this machine. See
“Server Folder” on page 217.

Apache Folder
The Apache web server handles every incoming request and forwards them to the database server.
The Apache folder includes important logs from the Apache process.

File Path (C:\Program

Files\Avid\Avid Interplay Engine) Description

Apache\logs\error.log The central Apache web server log file

that contains important messages from
the Apache process, especially warnings
and errors.

Apache\logs\access.log The central Apache web server access log

file. Only created if you enable this in
Apache's configuration (httpd.conf).

Apache\bin\Machines\[MACHINENAM Contains preview server and generator

E]\Apache.log errors.
 Avid Interplay Engine Directory: Folders and Files

n New log entries are appended to the log files, which makes them grow over time. The log files are not
deleted automatically. This must be done manually, if required.

error.log

This log file contains error messages and notices. An entry is received, for example, if a connection
to the TCP/COM bridge failed. An entry is also created when a client logged in or logged off. The
entries in this case look similar to the following:

[Thu Mar 14 18:24:07 2002] [notice] logon request received, session

'bad5781de4bd712b8bf49c7376de3cd4:1016126647' created

[Thu Mar 14 18:43:45 2002] [notice] logoff request for session

'bad5781de4bd712b8bf49c7376de3cd4:1016126647' received

A logon entry is always created when a client logs on, while a logoff entry is only created if the client
performs a clean logout. No logoff entry is created if, for example, the network connection is
interrupted.

access.log

The access.log file contains a log of every incoming request similar to the following:

192.168.1.199 - - [22/Jan/2002:21:11:49 +0100] "POST /nxn/workgroup/http HTTP/

1.1" 200 172

The items in such a log entry are:

• The IP address of the machine where the request was coming from;
• The date and time when the request was received;
• The request method (GET or POST), the request URI and any request parameters;
• The HTTP status codes returned to the client.

The returned status codes are the standard HTTP codes as described in RFC 2616 available under
http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2616.txt. Some of the important values are:
• 200 OK: The request has succeeded.
• 403 Forbidden: The server refuses to perform the request.
• 404 Not found: The server has not found anything matching the requested URI.
• 500 Internal server error.

n The creation of the access.log file is by default deactivated for performance and space reasons.

211
 Avid Interplay Engine Directory: Folders and Files

Activating Creation of the access.log File

To activate creation of the access.log file:

1. Open the httpd.conf file.
This is the Apache server configuration file located in the Interplay Engine installation directory,
for example, C:\Program Files\Avid\Avid Interplay Engine\Data\Apache\conf
2. Remove the # from one of the two lines in the file that appear as follows:
#CustomLog logs/access.log common
or
#CustomLog logs/access.log combined
See the file itself for further information.

Data Folder
The Data folder contains server-relevant configuration and data files, including the following Apache
modules and configuration files used by the Avid Interplay Preview Server and Avid Interplay
HTTP Server.

File Path (C:\Program

Files\Avid\Avid Interplay Engine) Description

Data\Apache\conf\httpd.conf The configuration file for the Apache web

server.

Data\Apache\conf\workgroup.xml This file contains settings for the

Avid Interplay Apache modules.
The settings in this file are used, for
example, by the filetransfer and the
preview server modules. The file transfer
section contains items such as a list of
UNC paths to which the Interplay HTTP
server can browse. The preview section
defines variables such as when the
preview cache expires.

Data\TCPCOMBridge\ServerXML.xml Contains settings for client access.

212
 Avid Interplay Engine Directory: Folders and Files

Logs
The Logs folder contains the following logs:

File Path (C:\Program

Files\Avid\Avid Interplay Engine) Description

Logs\Machines\[COMPUTER Records information about media delete

NAME]\AvDeletes.log operations. See “AvDeletes.log” on
page 214.

Logs\Machines\[COMPUTER Records information about metadata

NAME]\AvMetaDataDelete.log delete operations. See
“AvMetaDataDelete.log” on page 215

Logs\Machines\[COMPUTER Records information about move

NAME]\AvMoveEx.log operations. See “AvMoveEx.log” on
page 216.

Logs\Machines\[COMPUTER The central Avid Interplay Engine Server

NAME]\NxNServer.log log file containing information messages,
warning and error messages generated by
the Avid Interplay Engine Server.

Logs\Machines\[COMPUTERNAME]\ The log file for the Avid Interplay TCP/

NxNTCPCOMBridge.log COM Bridge. Is not created until the first
message occurs.

Logs\Machines\[COMPUTERNAME]\ Contains the backup log.

NxNBackup.log

In Interplay version 1.6 and later, the Interplay Engine compresses and archives log files older than 7
days. The log compression process runs during project backup. For more information see “Restoring
Archived Log Files” on page 43.

213
 Avid Interplay Engine Directory: Folders and Files

AvDeletes.log

The AvDeletes.log file includes the following information about media delete operations:
• Date and time of the delete operation
• Login of the user who performed the delete operation
• Computer name of the machine on which the delete operation was performed
• Name and path of the master clip deleted
• Name and path of the media files deleted, with deletion time in milliseconds (ms)

The following example shows these items.

AvDeletes.log

q [Mon May 25 14:02:29 2009] User 'airspeed' on host 'muc-ifsputnik' deleting media
for:
w [Mon May 25 14:02:29 2009] /Projects/ETPB-
1/INCOMING1/VIEWCUT_7151_MEDEA_020809_JT
[Mon May 25 14:02:29 2009] Media locations:
[Mon May 25 14:02:29 2009] Successfully deleted file //caetavdisis/feeds_a/avid
mediafiles/mxf/tm_caetavdetpb-1/etpb_1v01d015d6.mxf 57 ms
[Mon May 25 14:02:29 2009] Successfully deleted file //caetavdisis/feeds_a/avid
mediafiles/mxf/tm_caetavdetpb-1/etpb_1a01d015d6.mxf 25 ms
e [Mon May 25 14:02:29 2009] Successfully deleted file //caetavdisis/feeds_a/avid
mediafiles/mxf/tm_caetavdetpb-1/etpb_1a02d015d6.mxf 25 ms
[Mon May 25 14:02:29 2009] Successfully deleted file //caetavdisis/lowres/Avid
MediaFiles/MXF/CAETAVDTC02.1/VIEWCUT_7151_MEDEA_498FCF9C.mxf 25 ms

[Mon May 25 14:02:29 2009] User 'airspeed' on host 'muc-ifsputnik' deleting media
for:
[Mon May 25 14:02:29 2009] /Projects/ETPB-1/INCOMING1/ccut street song recut
012809
[Mon May 25 14:02:29 2009] Media locations:
[Mon May 25 14:02:29 2009] Successfully deleted file //caetavdisis/Feeds_A/Avid
MediaFiles/MXF/TM_caetavdetpb-1/ETPB_1V01249C352.mxf 25 ms
r [Mon May 25 14:02:29 2009] Unable to delete file //caetavdisis/Feeds_A/Avid
MediaFiles/MXF/TM_caetavdetpb-1/ETPB_1A01249C352.mxf (net path not found 0x35) 0
ms
[Mon May 25 14:02:29 2009] Successfully deleted file //caetavdisis/Feeds_A/Avid
MediaFiles/MXF/TM_caetavdetpb-1/ETPB_1A02249C352.mxf 25 ms

q Date, time, user login, and host system for the delete operation
w Name and path of master clip deleted
e Names and paths of four media files successfully deleted, with deletion time in milliseconds (ms)
r Failure to delete one object with Windows error “net path not found 0x35”

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 Avid Interplay Engine Directory: Folders and Files

AvMetaDataDelete.log

The AvMetaDataDelete.log includes the following information about metadata delete operations:
• Date and time of the delete operation
• Login of the user who performed the delete operation
• Computer name of the machine from on the delete operation was performed
• Display name, object handle, and path for every deleted object, grouped by path
• If an object could not be deleted, the error code (for example, a reservation)

The following example shows these items.

q [Mon May 25 14:02:30 2009] User 'airspeed' on host 'muc-ifsputnik' deleting meta-
data:
w [Mon May 25 14:02:39 2009] From '/Projects/ETPB-1/INCOMING1/'
[Mon May 25 14:02:39 2009] 'ET_VCT_7143_US_MICHELLE_5A_CY' handle 163841
e [Mon May 25 14:02:39 2009] 'VIEWCUT_7151_MEDEA_020809_JT.tr' handle 758621
[Mon May 25 14:02:39 2009] 'IN_VIEWCUT_STREETSONG_FINAL 012' handle 1260969

[Mon May 25 14:19:18 2009] User 'Administrator' on host 'muc-ifsputnik' deleting

metadata:
[Mon May 25 14:21:22 2009] From '/Orphan Clips/'
r [Mon May 25 14:21:22 2009] 'Channel 4 News @ 5' handle 1231 failed to delete,
error 0x899901a6

t [Mon May 25 14:21:39 2009] User 'Administrator' on host 'muc-ifsputnik' deleting

metadata:
[Mon May 25 14:21:40 2009] From '/Orphan Clips/'
[Mon May 25 14:21:40 2009] 'Channel 4 News @ 5' handle 1231

q Date, time, user login, and host system for the delete operation
w Name of the folder that holds the deleted objects
e Names and object handles of three objects successfully deleted
r Name and object handle of an object that could not be deleted with error 0x899901a6 (Object is still referencing
media and cannot be deleted).
t Same object successfully deleted

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 Avid Interplay Engine Directory: Folders and Files

AvMoveEx.log

The AvMoveEx.log includes the following information:

• Date and time of the move operation
• Login of the user who performed the move operation
• Computer name of the machine on which the move operation was performed
• Mime type (master clip, sequence, and so on), display name, object handle, and source and target
path of the moved objects
• If the objects are sequences or subclips, the deleted and created proxies and references

The following example shows these items.

AvMoveEx.log

q Fri May 29 11:02:45 2009] User 'airspeed' on host 'muc-ifsputnik' moving master-
clip 'Flash 1.mov' handle 1962859:
w [Fri May 29 11:02:45 2009] From '/Projects/DAILY PROJECTS/ETS PROJECTS/ETS DAILY
PROJECTS/DONT_DELETE/LIGHT LEAKS ETC/'
e [Fri May 29 11:02:45 2009] To '/Projects/AOT/Test/'

r [Fri May 29 11:03:08 2009] User 'airspeed' on host 'muc-ifsputnik' moving sequence
'President' handle 538510:
[Fri May 29 11:03:08 2009] From '/Projects/AOT/Test/'
[Fri May 29 11:03:08 2009] To '/Projects/DAILY PROJECTS/ETS PROJECTS/ETS DAILY
PROJECTS/DONT_DELETE/LIGHT LEAKS ETC/'
[Fri May 29 11:03:09 2009] Proxies & References deleted at '/Projects/AOT/Test/'
during move:
[Fri May 29 11:03:09 2009] 'President' handle 538510
[Fri May 29 11:03:09 2009] 'President.Voice Over.1' handle 1108345
[Fri May 29 11:03:09 2009] Proxies & References created at '/Projects/DAILY
t PROJECTS/ETS PROJECTS/ETS DAILY PROJECTS/DONT_DELETE/LIGHT LEAKS ETC/' during
move:
[Fri May 29 11:03:09 2009] 'President' handle 2799799
[Fri May 29 11:03:09 2009] 'Channel 4 News @ 5' handle 69537
[Fri May 29 11:03:09 2009] 'President.Voice Over.1' handle 376256

q Date, time, user login, host system, and name and object handle of the master clip being moved
w Path the clip is being moved from
e Path the clip is being moved to
r Date, time, user login, and name of sequence being moved
t Proxy files and reference clips deleted and recreated for the sequence

Preview Server Folder

The Preview Server folder contains a script to clear the Preview Cache.

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 Required TCP/IP Ports

Server Folder
The Server folder contains the Avid Interplay Engine Server installation.

File Path (C:\Program

Files\Avid\Avid Interplay Engine) Description

Server\Machines\[COMPUTER This file is generated by the Avid

NAME]\MachineConfig.ini Interplay Engine Server. It contains
information about the versions of the dll's
loaded by the server.

Server\Config\Config.xml This file contains the current

configuration settings for the Avid
Interplay Engine events, such as
whenever the server runs out of disk
space, emails can be sent to the
administrator.

Required TCP/IP Ports

When a client connects to the server through a local area network, the client uses HTTP.

On the server, port 8321 is used by the Avid Workgroup Server Browser service. The Avid
Workgroup Server Browser service listens and broadcasts on this port.

Port 80 on the server is used for client communication.

Avid Interplay Engine Servers and Services

This topic describes the different servers and services that Interplay needs to run properly. It also
provides information about the necessary access rights of these components to the file server.

Interplay has a typical client/server structure. The Interplay Engine (the server) is configured to run
on a central machine that is accessible to all users through a local area network (LAN) or the Internet
(WAN). The Interplay client applications are used to access and browse the central database. An
Interplay database consists of assets (files and folders) and metadata. See “Interplay Databases,
Folders, and Files” on page 23.

Two servers are installed on the Interplay Engine:

• The Avid Interplay Engine Server is the central process where all assets and asset meta-
information are managed. See “Avid Interplay Engine Server” on page 218.
• The Avid Workgroup HTTP Server is a module for the Apache server that allows clients to
connect to the Avid Interplay Engine Server using a HTTP protocol. See “Avid Workgroup
HTTP Server” on page 219

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 Avid Interplay Engine Servers and Services

Four services are installed on the Interplay Engine. You can view these services through the Control
Panel (Click Start and select Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services):
• Avid Workgroup Server Browser service: This service makes the Avid Interplay Engine visible
to the network. It answers requests on the 8313 port, which are called from the clients. See “Avid
Workgroup Server Browser Service” on page 219.
• Avid Workgroup Preview Server service: This service is an Apache web server. It provides the
thumbnail images for the Preview facility and the client connection interface. See “Avid
Workgroup Preview Server Service” on page 220.
• Avid Workgroup TCP COM Bridge service: This service provides a bridge from TCP calls to the
Avid Workgroup COM interface. See “Avid Workgroup TCP/COM Bridge Service” on
page 222.
• Avid Workgroup VSS service: This service provides backup functionality to the Avid Interplay
Engine (Interplay version 2.1 and later only). See “Avid Workgroup VSS Service” on page 223.

One service is installed only on the Interplay Failover Cluster:

• Avid Workgroup Engine Monitor: This service starts the Engine Server process and monitors the
health of the Engine Server, Apache HTTP Server, and TCP/COM Bridge components (Interplay
version 2.3 and later only) See “Avid Workgroup Engine Monitor Service” on page 223.

Avid Interplay Engine Server

The Avid Interplay Engine Server is the central process where all assets and asset metadata are
managed. The main task of the server is to manage all the information that is in the database and
implement the server-side logic of database operations. The database itself is changed whenever
content in the database has been changed; therefore the Interplay Engine process needs fast access to
the location where the database is installed.

Backups

The database files, as well as the assets, can be backed up while the Interplay Engine is running. For
details, see “Creating and Restoring Database Backups” on page 25.

Processes

The process running is usually listed as NxNServer.exe or NXNSer~3.exe.

This process is automatically launched at startup (machine boot) from the Avid Workgroup Server
Browser Service. If, however, it is not running at any time and clients try to access it, it is
automatically launched.

The Interplay Engine always runs under the user specified in the DCOMConfig Settings.
DCOMCNFG is a Windows utility that allows you to configure various DCOM-specific settings in
the registry. To access it, type dccomcnfg at the Command Prompt.

c Do not change the settings using the DCOM configuration tool. Instead, use
NxNServerUser.exe to change the user under which the Avid Interplay Engine Server and
other servers and services run. See “Troubleshooting the Server Execution User Account” on
page 196.

Windows Services

There is no Windows service associated with this server process.

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 Avid Interplay Engine Servers and Services

Requirements
• The Avid Interplay Engine Server must run on a Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2008.
For additional hardware requirements, see the Avid Interplay Software Installation and
Configuration Guide.
• The user under which the Avid Interplay Engine Server runs (the Server Execution User) needs
to have full read/write access to the database directory and to the Avid shared-storage
workspaces.

Avid Workgroup HTTP Server

The Avid Workgroup HTTP Server is a module for the Apache server which allows clients to connect
to the Avid Interplay Engine Server using a HTTP protocol.

These modules are run by the same instance of Apache as the Avid Workgroup Preview Server
modules.

Connectivity

See “Avid Workgroup Preview Server Service” on page 220.

Processes

See “Avid Workgroup Preview Server Service” on page 220.

n The Avid Interplay HTTP Server uses the Apache modules NxNworkgroupFileTransferService.nsm
and NxNworkgroupInternetBridge.nsm.

Windows Services

See “Avid Workgroup Preview Server Service” on page 220.

Requirements

See “Avid Workgroup Preview Server Service” on page 220.

Avid Workgroup Server Browser Service

The Avid Workgroup Server Browser service is responsible for providing information about the
Interplay Engine server to Avid Interplay clients and searching for the available servers and
databases. The Avid Workgroup Server Browser listens to port 8313.

Processes

The process running is usually listed as NxNworkgroupServerBrowser.exe or NxNworkgroupSe.

This process launches the Avid Interplay Engine Server during startup.

Windows Services

The Avid Workgroup Server Browser is started automatically at system startup. This service always
runs under the local system account. The main task of this service is to start the main Avid Interplay
Engine process (NXNServer.exe). In order to access files on the file server, the main Interplay Engine
process needs to run under a user account that has access to the file server.

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 Avid Interplay Engine Servers and Services

Requirements
• The Avid Workgroup Server Browser must run on the same machine as the Avid Interplay
Engine Server.
• Port 8313 needs to be open.

Avid Workgroup Preview Server Service

The Avid Workgroup Preview Server service generates upon demand thumbnails and preview images
of items already in the database.

For items only on the local machine (not imported yet), the previews are generated directly on the
client machine.

On both the Preview Server and on the local machine, cache directories keep the generated previews.
• On the Preview Server: in the directory you specified during installation, by default
\\IEServer\\WG_Database$\PreviewServer\Cache.
• On the local machine: C:\Documents and Settings\User\Local Settings\Application
Data\Avid\Workgroup\Cache\Preview.

The server is implemented as a module for Apache.

Connectivity

The Preview Server is accessed only from clients via HTTP. It uses the default port 80.

n Make sure that no other application allocates port 80. For example, IIS might be installed as the
default HTTP server. In this case, deactivate the corresponding application.

Processes

There are two processes of Apache.exe running. One of them is a watchdog whose only task is to
make sure that the main Apache process is running. The main Apache process serves the preview
requests of port 80.

n The Avid Interplay Preview Server uses the Apache module NxNworkgroupPreviewService.nsm.

Windows Services

The Avid_Workgroup_Preview_Server is started automatically at system startup. This service always

runs under the local system account.

Requirements
• The Avid Workgroup Preview Server must run on the same machine as the Avid Interplay Engine
Server.
• Since the Avid Workgroup Preview Server needs to access the files on the file server during
thumbnail rendering, a user with appropriate access rights must be impersonated for each
preview action. To ensure that the impersonated user can access the files, we strongly advise
setting it to the same user under which the Avid Interplay Engine Server runs.

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 Avid Interplay Engine Servers and Services

The user name and encrypted password for the impersonation is stored in the following registry
keys:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Avid Technology\Workgroup\Avid Workgroup
Server\ExecutionUser
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Avid Technology\Workgroup\Avid Workgroup
Server\ExecutionSettings

c Change the impersonation settings for the Avid Interplay Preview Server with the
NXNServerUser.exe tool only. See “Troubleshooting the Server Execution User Account” on
page 196.

Configuring the Preview Service

The Preview Service is responsible for the generation of thumbnails and preview images on the
server, as well as delivering them to the Interplay application.

All settings can be edited in the workgroup.xml file in the <preview><settings … /> section. This file
is located in the Interplay Engine installation directory, for example,
• C:\Program Files\Avid\Avid Interplay Engine\Data\Apache\conf\workgroup.xml (non-cluster
systems)
• S:\WorkgroupData\Apache\conf\workgroup.xml (cluster systems).

The settings should look similar to the following. Default settings are shown; the actual file
references the locations you specified during installation:

<settings

CacheRoot="C:\WG_Database$\PreviewServer/Cache"

IconRoot=”C:\Program Files\Avid\Avid Interplay Engine\Data\Apache/icons"

ServerEnableDiskGuard="yes"

ServerCacheMinFreeDiskSpace="250mb"

ThumbnailImageFormat="png"

ThumbnailsUseAlpha="yes"

PreviewsUseAlpha="yes"

/>

The Preview Server reads the settings from this file when the service is started. This means settings
become active only after you restart the Preview Server. You can do this without restarting the whole
machine by restarting the service Avid_Workgroup_Preview_Server. Select Control Panel >
Administrative Tools > Services, double-click the service, and click Start.

Description of Preview Generation Settings in workgroup.xml

• CacheRoot: Path where previews and thumbnails generated by the preview server are stored.
This location is used by the preview server to create a cache of converted images. The preview
server can reuse those images for subsequent requests from any client. To ensure best

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performance, this path should reside on a disk that has enough free space available to hold a
reasonable working set of cached images. While the default is inside of the database directory of
the Avid Interplay Engine, it is a good idea to place it on a different disk.
• IconRoot: Path to a directory where a set of icons is stored, usually pointing into the Avid
Interplay Engine installation directory. The icons stored here are used by the Preview Server if,
for example, a thumbnail generation failed or if an asset has an unknown format or is not an
image/video file.
• ServerEnableDiskGuard: If “yes”, the free space on disk is constantly checked and cache files
are purged if necessary. If “no”, cache files are never deleted. “1” and “0” are other possible
notations.
• ServerCacheMinFreeDiskSpace: If the disk guard is enabled it tries to ensure that the disk cache
leaves at least this amount of space free on the disk. The disk guard cannot always ensure this
limit because it works in parallel to the normal preview server operation and other applications
might store data on the same disk. Use a value that is high enough to overcome spike usage on
your disk. The disk guard removes the oldest cached files first.
Values are by default (no suffix) in megabytes, but can be specified in gigabytes ('gb'), or
terabytes ('tb'), respectively ('1gb' == '1024').
• ThumbnailImageFormat: This is the format used by client application to request thumbnails.
This should always match the requests made by the client application. It is advisable to set this to
“png.” Note: The client does not change the request format if this setting is changed.
• ThumbnailsUseAlpha: If “yes,” generated thumbnails use the alpha channel to let a white
background shine through the normal image. Use “no” to ignore alpha channel information.

n Generated thumbnails never contain any alpha information. This setting only renders the alpha
channel into the normal image data.

• PreviewsUseAlpha: If “yes,” generated preview images are delivered to the client with the alpha
channel included (if it is actually displayed is a client option). Use “no” to generate previews
without any alpha channel information.

Avid Workgroup TCP/COM Bridge Service

The Avid Workgroup TCP/COM Bridge service acts as bridge to the Avid Interplay Engine Server.

The Avid Workgroup HTTP Server needs the Avid Interplay TCP/COM Bridge to connect to the
Avid Interplay Engine Server.

Connectivity

The Avid Workgroup TCP/COM Bridge listens to port 8318.

Processes

The process running is usually NXNTCP~1.exe from NXNTCPCOMBridge.exe.

Windows Services

The service “Avid Workgroup TCP COM Bridge” is automatically started at system startup and
should be running all the time.

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 Avid Interplay Engine Servers and Services

Requirements
• The Avid Workgroup Server Browser must run on the same machine as the Avid Interplay
Engine Server.
• The Avid Workgroup TCP/COM bridge needs to run under the same user account as the Avid
Interplay Engine Server. To check under which user the bridge runs, use the Windows Services
Control Panel.
To check the user account, click Start, click Run, and type services.msc. Right-click Avid
Workgroup TCP COM Bridge and select Properties. In the Log On tab, the This Account option
should display the Server Execution User.

c Use the tool NXNServerUser.exe to change the Server Execution User. Do not change the
settings in the Control Panel. See “Troubleshooting the Server Execution User Account” on
page 196.

Avid Workgroup VSS Service

The Avid Workgroup VSS service provides backup functionality to the Avid Interplay Engine
(Interplay version 2.1 and later only). By working with the Windows Volume Shadow Copy service,
it significantly reduces the impact of the backup process on other engine operations.

The Avid Interplay Engine needs the Avid Workgroup VSS Service to create scheduled backups of
its databases.

Connectivity

The VSS Service communicates with the Avid Interplay Engine using standard Operating System
pipes.

Processes

The process running is usually IEVSSS~1.EXE or IEVSSService.exe.

Windows Services

The Avid Workgroup VSS service is automatically started at system startup and should be running all
the time. This service always runs under the local system account. The Avid Workgroup VSS service
requires that the Windows Volume Shadow Copy service is also running. The Windows Volume
Shadow Copy service is installed by default and started automatically.

Requirements
• The Avid Workgroup VSS service must run on the same machine as the Avid Interplay Engine
Server.
• The Avid Workgroup VSS service requires that the Windows Volume Shadow Copy service is
also running.

Avid Workgroup Engine Monitor Service

The Avid Workgroup Engine Monitor is responsible for creating the Engine Server process and for
monitoring the health of the Engine Server process, the Apache HTTP server, and the TCP/COM
Bridge. On Failover Cluster installations this service is controlled by a cluster resource of the same
name.

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 Avid Interplay Engine Servers and Services

The Avid Workgroup Engine Monitor regularly tries to connect to the Engine Server process, the
Apache HTTP server, and the TCP/COM Bridge. If those components are too slow to respond or do
not respond at all, the Engine Monitor will trigger restarts of those components through the
corresponding cluster resources.

The Avid Workgroup Engine Monitor logs actions and health issues to the Application Event log.

Example 1: Startup:

Avid Workgroup Engine Monitor Event ID 22: Service has been started
successfully

Avid Workgroup Engine Monitor Event ID 28: Workgroup Engine process started

Avid Workgroup Engine Monitor Event ID 30: Monitoring thread started: thorough
ping 90 sec, heart beat max idle 90 sec, monitoring interval 15 sec

Example 2: COM Failure

Avid Workgroup Engine Monitor Event ID 42: Failed to connect Workgroup Engine
with DCOM 'Error 800706bb happened 8 times within the last 14981 msec'

Avid Workgroup Engine Monitor Event ID 31: Thorough check failed: Result code:
0x800706be

Avid Workgroup Engine Monitor Event ID 33: Monitoring thread terminated

Processes

The process running is usually listed as IEMonitorService.exe or IEMONI~1.EXE.

Windows Services

The service Avid Workgroup Engine Monitor is started by the cluster resource “Avid Workgroup
Engine Monitor.”

Requirements
• The Avid Workgroup Engine Monitor must run on the same machine as the Avid Interplay
Engine Server. (This is ensured by the “Avid Workgroup Server” cluster resource group.)
• The Avid Workgroup Engine Monitor needs to run under the same user account as the Avid
Interplay Engine Server. To check under which user the Engine Monitor runs, use the Windows
Services Control Panel.

To check the user account, click Start, click Run, and type services.msc. Right-click Avid Workgroup
Engine Monitor and select Properties. In the Log On tab, the This Account option should display the
Server Execution User.

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B Interplay Engine Configuration Files

The following topics provide information for configuration that you might need to do only under
certain circumstances, such as troubleshooting:
• Configuring the Server Event Manager
• Configuring Client Access
• Setting the Filetransfer Server

Configuring the Server Event Manager

The Server Event Manager is a service that automatically informs administrators whenever an
important event occurs on the server, for example, when the hard drive is almost full. Basic settings
are configured in the Config.xml and LogWatch.xml files.

Consider the following:

• When the Interplay Engine server sends e-mails, it uses the login of the Server Execution User.
Make sure the mail server is aware of the username and password of this account (usually a
domain account). If the mail server is not aware of this account, it might reject the e-mail
request.
• E-mail service might be unreliable if there are too many event notices in a short time frame.
Some events might be dropped. Because a large number of event notices indicates a problem, the
administrator needs to investigate and correct the problem.

Config.xml File
The Interplay Engine reads its event manager settings from a file called Config.xml. By default, e-
mail notification is disabled in the installation program. If you select e-mail notification during
installation, basic settings are created in this file. If you want to add e-mail notification after
installation, you can edit the Config.xml file.

The Config.xml file is located in the Interplay Engine installation directory, for example, C:\Program
Files\Avid\Avid Interplay Engine\Data\Server\Config.
 Configuring the Server Event Manager

The configuration file is an XML file that has the following format:

<XML>

<Events>

<Event Name=”Name of Event”>

<Action Name=”Name of Action”>

<Parameter Name=”Name of Parameter”>

Value of Parameter

</Parameter>

...

</Action>

<Parameter Name=”Name of Parameter”>

Value of Parameter

</Parameter>

...

</Event>

<Parameter Name=”Name of Parameter”>

Value of Parameter

</Parameter>

...

</Events>

</XML>

The <Events> block specifies to which events the Interplay Engine should react. The <Events> block
contains <Event> blocks that specify the names of the events that you want configured here.

Inside each <Event> block is the <Action> block that specifies the actions to be performed whenever
an event occurs. The attribute “Name” describes which action is to be performed.

The <Parameter> blocks are used to specify the behavior of an action. It is also possible to identify a
parameter by its “Name” attribute. Parameters are identified by their “Name” attributes.

Whenever the server performs an action, it searches the parameters from the inside out, which means
it searches the parameter block inside the <Action> block first and then inside the <Events> block.
This allows you to specify a parameter for all events. Alternatively, you can specify a parameter for
all actions of an event.

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 Configuring the Server Event Manager

Note the following:

• When the Interplay Engine server sends e-mails, it uses the login of the Server Execution User.
Make sure the mail server is aware of the username and password of this account (usually a
domain account). If the mail server is not aware of this account, it might reject the e-mail
request.
• E-mail service might be unreliable if there are too many event notices in a short time frame.
Some events might be dropped. Because a large number of event notices indicates a problem, the
administrator needs to investigate and correct the problem.

Supported Actions in Config.xml

The following section describes the action that is currently supported in Interplay and that is
configured in Config.xml to be performed when an event occurs.

SendMail

The SendMail action is configured with the following XML block:

<Action Name=”SendMail”>

<Parameter Name=”SenderMachine”>

SERVERMACHINE

</Parameter>

<Parameter Name=”RCPTList”>

[email protected], [email protected]

</Parameter>

<Parameter Name =”SenderAddress”>

[email protected]

</Parameter>

<Parameter Name=”SMTPServer”>

123.123.123.123

</Parameter>

</Action>

The “SenderMachine” parameter specifies the name of the machine on which the server resides.

The “RCPTList” parameter contains a comma separated list of valid e-mail addresses. These
addresses should receive an e-mail whenever the server performs an action.

The “SenderAddress” parameter contains the e-mail address of the sender (the Server Execution
User). The sender should act as the originator of the sent e-mail.

Make sure the mail server is aware of the username and password of this account (usually a domain
account). If the mail server is not aware of this account, it might reject the e-mail request.

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 Configuring the Server Event Manager

The “SMTPServer” parameter contains a valid IP address of the mail server to which the mail is to be
sent.

Supported Events in Config.xml

The following sections describe the events that are currently supported in Interplay and that can be
configured in Config.xml as events to which the Interplay Engine should react.

DiskLimit Event

The “DiskLimit” event is configured with the following XML block:

<Event Name=”DiskLimit”>

<Parameter Name=”FreeSpace”>

30 100 500

</Parameter>

</Event>

The “FreeSpace” parameter contains a list of numbers that specify the free space on the disk in
megabytes. Whenever the free space falls below one of the specified numbers, it triggers the server to
perform one of the configured actions.

BackupFailed Event

The “BackupFailed” event is triggered whenever the automatic backup of a database fails, that is,
when the _Database folder cannot be copied to the backup location.

The “BackupFailed” event is configured with the following XML block:

<Event Name="BackupFailed">

</Event>

To send an e-mail when a “BackupFailed” event is triggered, use the “SendMail” action described in
“Supported Actions in Config.xml” on page 227.

LogEvent Event

The “LogEvent” event is triggered according to the settings in the LogWatch.xml, in which an
administrator can specify what actions should happen if a severe problem inside of the Interplay
Engine occurs (for example, send an e-mail or shut down the server). The file allows a rough
definition by severity of the problem or a very detailed configuration via the message ID of the
problem.

The LogEvent is configured in the Config.xml with the following XML block:

<Event Name="LogEvent">

</Event>

To send an e-mail when a “LogEvent” event is triggered, use the “SendMail” action.

See also “LogWatch.xml” on page 231.

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 Configuring the Server Event Manager

ClusterResourceFailure Event

The “ClusterResourceFailure” event is triggered only in a failover cluster setup. It is sent whenever a
problem inside the cluster is detected.

The “ClusterResourceFailure” event is configured with the following XML block:

<Event Name="ClusterResourceFailure">

</Event>

To send an e-mail when a “ClusterResourceFailure” event is triggered, use the “SendMail” action.

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 Configuring the Server Event Manager

Server Event Configuration Example

The following is an example of the configuration of a server to send e-mails whenever the backup
fails, or the free space on a server disk reaches one of the limits set, in this case 30, 100, or 500 MB:

<XML>

<Events>

<Event Name=”DiskLimit”>

<Action Name=”SendMail”>

</Action>

<Parameter Name=”FreeSpace”>

30 100 500

</Parameter>

</Event>

<Event Name="BackupFailure">

<Action Name="SendMail">

</Action>

</Event>

<Parameter Name=”SenderMachine”>

SERVERMACHINE

</Parameter>

<Parameter Name=”RCPTList”>

[email protected], [email protected]

</Parameter>

<Parameter Name=”SenderAddress”>

[email protected]

</Parameter>

<Parameter Name=”SMTPServer”>

123.123.123.123

</Parameter>

</Events>

</XML>

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 Configuring the Server Event Manager

Here is an example of an e-mail sent by the Event Manager:

11/23/1999 12:09:14 [WGServer]

INFO:

This is a message sent by the Event Manager.

LogWatch.xml
Log event notifications are configured in LogWatch.xml, located in the Avid Interplay Engine
installation directory:

C:\Program Files\Avid\Avid Interplay Engine\Data\Server\Config.

Edit this file to assign actions for different log events. Actions can be assigned to all message events
of a given severity or to specific events by message IDs.

Action Value

None 0

Send mail 1

Shutdown server 2

Shutdown and lock server 3

ID Severity

-500 Dump (debug dumps)

-400 Info (internal info)

-300 Message (external info, for users)

-200 Notes (status messages like "database

opened successfully")

-100 [WARN] (warnings like “loading took

more than 3 sec”)

0 [ERROR] (normal errors, like “file

couldn't be imported because it exists
already”)

100 [FATAL] (Recoverable critical Errors,

like “couldn't save database - disk
full”)

200 Critical (non-recoverable errors, such

as crashes)

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 Configuring Client Access

Sending E-mail Notifications from LogWatch.xml

To send e-mail notification on any error with a specific severity level:
t Add a mapping entry to LogWatch.xml within the <SeverityMappings> scope.
For example:
<SeverityMappings>
<Mapping Severity = "<severity level>" Action = "<action id>"/>
</SeverityMappings>
For example, following entry sends an e-mail on every [FATAL]:
<SeverityMappings>
<Mapping Severity = "100" Action = "1"/>
</SeverityMappings>
To configure how and where the event notification should be sent, see “Supported Actions in
Config.xml” on page 227.

To send e-mail notification on a specific message event:

t Add a mapping entry within MessageMapping scope (the message ID is decimal number)
<MessageMappings>
<Mapping MessageID = "<msg id>" Action = "<action id>"/>
</MessageMappings>
The message ID is the last number in brackets before the actual message string in the log file.
The message ID of the entry below is 0x00004678. Note that the log file displays hexadecimal
ids. You need to convert the numbers to decimal format before adding to the message mapping.
[Thu Sep 16 17:27:43 2004] [FATAL] [.\NxNDbServer.cpp ] [ 4627]
[0000034c] [00004678] Could not connect to Central Configuration Service
'XXX' for database 'YYY'
The message mapping for the error [4678] hex (which is 18040 in decimal) triggering “Send
email” action looks like the following:
<MessageMappings>
<Mapping MessageID = “18040" Action = "1"/>
</MessageMappings>

Configuring Client Access

The configuration file ServerXML.xml allows you to specify the client access when accessing the
server using HTTP from the client. In this configuration file, you specify servers that should be
visible to clients, which databases are available, and which users are allowed to access these
databases.

The Configuration file is located in a folder in the Avid Interplay Engine installation directory, by
default, C:\Program Files\Avid\Avid Interplay Engine\Data\TCPCOMBridge. You configure access
for the client in this file.The ServerXML.dll resides at NxN/Workgroup.

232
 Configuring Client Access

n Settings you configure in the User Management view through the Interplay Administrator also apply
to the databases (see “Managing Database Roles” on page 114). These settings are an additional
security layer on top of the Interplay User Management.

Configuring Access

The <server> token specifies the name of the server on your network that should be visible to clients
connecting to a single server machine. Make sure that all of the database directories to be accessed
are shared and visible on the single server machine.

Through <project> tokens, you specify which databases should be visible to clients connecting to the
single server. The token can have two attributes: “name” and “access.”

The “name” attribute specifies the name of the database. This name must be the same as the name of
the database configured in the Active Database List through the Interplay Administrator. If a database
is not in the Active Database List, it cannot be made visible by specifying its name in <project> token
either. You can also use the “*” as a wildcard character representing all databases in the Active
Database List.

The “access” attribute specifies the type of access for the database. If it is set to “allow,” clients can
see the database in the database browser and are allowed to access it. If the attribute is set to “deny,”
the database is not accessible and is not even visible to the clients. By default, everything is set to
“deny.”

With the <user> token, you specify which users are allowed to connect to a database. As with the
<project> token, the “name” and “access” attributes can also be used here. The name attribute is the
name of a user in the database. The “name” attribute supports the “*” (wildcard) value representing
all users.

Database and user settings are inherited from the parent node in the token tree if the settings are not
specified on the current level. This allows you to specify access permissions for all databases on a
server, or even for all servers.

The additional attribute “emptypassword” is supported for the <project> and <server> tokens. This
attribute can be set to the value “allow” or “deny.” If set to “deny,” then all connection attempts by a
user with no password specified are refused by the server or the database, respectively. By default,
whenever you create a user in an Interplay database, the password is set to empty. Avid highly
recommends setting this value to “deny” for security reasons.

Following are some examples illustrating the configuration of database and user access.

Example 1:

<XML>

<server name="WGSERVER">

</server>

</XML>

The server WGSERVER is visible to the outside, although no databases are accessible.

233
 Configuring Client Access

Example 2:

<XML>

<server name="WGSERVER”>

<project name=”*” access=”allow” emptypassword=”deny”>

<user name=”*” access=”allow” />

</project>

</server>

</XML>

All databases on server WGSERVER are visible and any user can connect to the database. For all
databases, connection requests with empty passwords are refused.

Example 3:

<XML>

<server name="WGSERVER” emptypassword=”deny”>

<project name=”*” access=”allow”>

<user name=”*” access=”allow” />

<user name=”Administrator” access=”deny” />

<user name=”John” access=”deny” />

</project>

</server>

</XML>

All users except Administrator and John are allowed to access the databases on server WGSERVER.
For all databases on the server, connection requests with empty passwords are refused.

234
 Configuring Client Access

Example 4:

<XML>

<server name="WGSERVER”>

<user name=”*” access=”allow” />

<user name=”Administrator” access=”deny” />

<user name=”John” access=”deny” />

<project name=”Project1” access=”allow” />

<project name=”Project2” access=”allow”>

<user name=”Nina” access=”deny” />

</project>

</server>

</XML>

All users except Administrator and John are allowed to access the databases “Project1” and
“Project2.” Access to “Project2” for the user “Nina” is refused.

Example 5:

<XML>

<project name=”*” access=”allow” />

<user name=”*” access=”deny” />

<user name=”Administrator” access=”allow” />

<server name="WGSERVER” />

</XML>

All databases on the specified servers are accessible only to Administrators.

235
 Setting the Filetransfer Server

Setting the Filetransfer Server

Additional configuration might be required when the Interplay Server is running inside of a network
configured using NAT. In this case, the IP returned by the Interplay Engine is the internal address and
not the external address needed by the client. The following change in the workgroup.xml
configuration file tells the client to connect to the file transfer server via its name instead of address.
This allows clients to connect to the file transfer server in most standard NAT configurations.

<XML>

...

<http>

<filetransferservername>

myserver.mydomain.com

</filetransferservername>

</http>

...

</XML>

This file is located in the Interplay Engine installation directory, for example,
• C:\Program Files\Avid\Avid Interplay Engine\Data\Apache\conf\workgroup.xml (non-cluster
systems)
• S:\WorkgroupData\Apache\conf\workgroup.xml (cluster systems).

236
C Valid and Invalid Characters in Interplay

The following table lists the valid and invalid characters (also known as special characters) for
Interplay.

Allowed Not Allowed

Avid asset names Characters: / \ |

File asset names and All characters allowed Characters: * ? : / \ " < > |
Interplay database for files in Windows
Names ending with a dot
folder names
Names used as DOS devices (LPT1, com1, .., .,, for
example)

Property names Characters: / \ |

(metadata field
names)

Video ID (Tape ID) The only characters allowed are letters, numbers,
metadata field underscores, and hyphens.

n The Video ID metadata property in Interplay

Access is editable and accepts any character.
However, valid characters are enforced in Send to
Playback operations.

Users and user Characters: / \ |" '

groups

Although the following characters are valid for users and user groups in Interplay, they are not
supported when naming projects, bins, and users on Avid editing systems:

:*?<>

Do not use these characters in Interplay user names or group names.

For information on International Character Support (ICS), see the Interplay Help.

n When you name a Mac OS X computer, use single-byte ASCII characters without spaces.
D System Metadata Properties

Metadata is textual data you can use to identify and describe the creation, contents, and disposition of
the clip or shotlist you are logging. Interplay comes with an extensive list of system metadata.

The administrator determines some of the metadata properties that can be viewed in Interplay Access
as headings in the Content View and Object Inspector, and also used in Interplay searches. Some
metadata properties are always available and cannot be disabled.

By default, the Interplay Engine includes default sets of properties for Broadcast, Post and Film
layouts, as described in the following table.

Broadcast Post Film

Content Inspector Content Inspector Content Inspector

Default Default Default Default Default Default

Comments Comments Comments Comments Camroll Camroll

Created By Duration Created By Created By Comments Comments
Creation Date Media File Creation Date Creation Date Duration Duration
Format
DRM DRM Duration End End
Name
Duration Duration Media File KN Dur KN Dur
Video ID Format
Format Format KN End KN End
Tracks Name
Media Status Media Status KN Start KN Start
Tape
Modified Date Modified Date Name Name
Tracks
Name Name Pullin Pullin
Video ID Tape Pullout Pullout
Tracks Tracks Start Start

n Text for system metadata is limited to 32,000 characters.

The following table lists all system metadata properties.

n Properties can be added to the Interplay Production database if they were created in Media
Composer and assets with those properties were checked in to Interplay Production.
 Search Values and Hints on
Heading Description Searching in Interplay

All Custom All custom properties defined in the Searches for all the custom properties that
Property Layout of the Interplay are set.
Administrator.

Access Rights The access level or user role assigned to a

particular folder or asset. The column
displays an icon that represents the type
of access.

AFD Value for Active Format Description

(AFD) in an ancillary data track. Media
Composer v6.1 and later allows the
creation of AFD values, which are
supported in Interplay v2.7 and later.

AMA Media Status Indicates if an asset is linked to AMA Values are:

media. Values are:
• has AMA media linked
• has AMA media linked
• has only AMA media linked
• has only AMA media linked
• has native media linked
• no AMA media linked

AudioBitDepth Audio bit depth used when you work with Type a value or use the arrows to select a
audio files: 16 bit or 24 bit. value.

AudioFormat Audio format of master clips (AIFF-C,

SDII, or WAVE).

AudioSR Audio resolution (sample rate).

Auto Transcode Status Shows if an auto-transcode job is

complete or not.

Auto Transfer Status Shows if an auto-transfer job is complete

or not.

AuxTC24 Original HDTV sources (1080p/24) or Type numbers only in the four colon-
audio DATs created for PAL feature film separated entry fields displayed.
productions that use in-camera timecode.

Auxiliary Ink Auxiliary ink format settings allow you to

display an additional type of ink number.
This lets you track additional types of
film information for different film gauges.
Used for 24p projects, 25p projects, and
matchback projects only. Auxiliary Ink is
the starting frame for the clip.

AuxiliaryTC1 through You can type an auxiliary timecode or Type numbers only in the four colon-
TC5 another timecode for editing film or audio separated entry fields displayed.
timecode for film.

AuxInkDur Length of the clip, expressed in the Type numbers only in the four colon-
auxiliary ink number. separated entry fields displayed.

239
 Search Values and Hints on
Heading Description Searching in Interplay

AuxInkEdge Type of edgecode used in the auxiliary

ink number.

AuxInkEnd Ending auxiliary ink number for the clip. Type numbers only in the four colon-
separated entry fields displayed.

AuxInkFilm Film gauge for the auxiliary ink number.

Cadence Type of pulldown present on the source

NTSC tapes when in a 23.976 or 24p
project.

Camera Camera used to film this clip. This feature

is used in multicamera shoots.

Camroll Camera roll containing this clip. Used for

24p projects, 25p projects, and matchback
projects only.

Category Assigned category. Categories are defined Set to Ignore by default, change to a
by the administrator in the Configure category name to search only for items
Categories view of the Interplay assigned to that category.
Administrator.

CFPS Captured frames per second. Type a value or use the arrows to select a
value.

Closed Captions The time an asset that has closed captions

Modification Time created or edited in MediaCentral UX
was modified.

Color The text display color for metadata of the Returns items of selected color found.
selected item in all Interplay Access The search does not find items colored
displays. only by inheritance (only the parent is
returned).

Comments Displays any comments added as Type text.

metadata to the media file when it was
originally ingested or captured. You can
edit this field in Interplay Access.

Created by Displays the name of the user who

created the shotlist.

Creation Date When the asset was created. The format Select a time range and a particular date
of the date and time depends on the local (for example, 12/4/04 or 12/4/2004) or a
language and regional options of the time period from the pop-up menu. Click
operating system and the Java software. the calendar to get clickable calendar.

Current Video Resolution Last resolution checked in with the asset.

Current/Last User Last user that checked the asset in or out.

Data Format Data format AAF or OMF. Select Is and then either AAF or OMF.

Database The Interplay database that contains the

asset.

240
 Search Values and Hints on
Heading Description Searching in Interplay

Database Modification The last time the asset was modified in The Modified Date property refers to the
Time the Interplay database last time the asset was modified in the
Media Composer bin.

Date Deleted (Orphan Clips folder only) Displays the When used as a search criteria, produces
date and time the last links was deleted. results only for those assets that are still
in the Orphan Clips folder or its
subfolders.

Deleted By (Orphan Clips folder only) Displays the When used as a search criteria, produces
user name of the person who deleted the results only for those assets that are still
last link. in the Orphan Clips folder or its
subfolders.

Directly Playable in (Interplay Streaming Server v2.4 and

Access later) A green triangle in this column
indicates that a clip can be played in the
Interplay Access Monitor. Also applies to
subclips or shotlists created from playable
clips. Not applicable for Interplay
Production v3.5.

Disk Label Displays the XDCAM disk label created

when you import XDCAM media. (This
value is not currently displayed in
Interplay Access.)

DPX Frame-counting field for Digital Picture

Exchange, a SMPTE standard describing
frames scanned from film. The format is
the following: a descriptor of up to 32
alphanumeric characters, followed by a
hyphen (-), followed by a six-digit frame
count, for example, DPXChildDocu-
023657.

DRM Digital Rights Management property. Has Depending on the search flags, this search
the special operators Has DRM and Does can retrieve links to the assets, assets or
not have DRM. links and assets which have at least one
DRM protected media somewhere in the
structure. Searches for DRM should
return all of the sequences, subclips,
rendered effects, and so on that use a
restricted master clip. DRM is referred to
as “restrictions” in Interplay Assist, Avid
Instinct, and Avid editing systems.

Duration The length of the asset in hours, minutes, Type numbers only in the four colon-
seconds, and frames. separated entry fields displayed.

End Timecode of the clip’s tail frame. Type numbers only in the four colon-
separated entry fields displayed.

FilmTC Timecode used on film. Used for 24p and Type numbers only in the four colon-
25p projects only. separated entry fields displayed.

241
 Search Values and Hints on
Heading Description Searching in Interplay

Format The format of a clip or sequence as

determined by the project type, such as
30i NTSC or 1080i/59.94. This is
especially useful if you have both SD and
HD clips in the same bin.

FPS Play rate: the number of frames to be Type a value or use the arrows to select a
displayed each second. The default is value.
29.97 for NTSC and 25 for PAL for
video. The play rate can also be 24 or
23.98.

Frame Chase Expected Expected length of a clip captured by the Type numbers only in the four colon-
Duration Frame Chase Editing method. separated entry fields displayed.

Frame Chase Known Current length of a clip being captured by Type numbers only in the four colon-
Duration the Frame Chase Editing method. separated entry fields displayed.

Has Closed Captions An asset that has closed captions created Criterion is Closed Captions, values are
or edited in MediaCentral UX. “has Closed Captions” or “does not have
Closed Captions.”

In Use (Search only) If Is in use, asset is Select Is in use or Is not in use.

referenced by a sequence also in the
database.

IN-OUT The length of the marked segment of a Select an operator and then type numbers
clip, if any. only in the four colon-separated entry
fields displayed.

Initial Checkin Date Date that the asset was first checked in. Select a time range and a particular date
(for example, 12/4/04 or 12/4/2004) or a
time period from the pop-up menu. Click
the calendar to get clickable calendar.

InkDur Length of the clip, expressed in ink Select an operator and then type numbers
number. Used for 24p projects, 25p only in the four colon-separated entry
projects, and matchback projects only. fields displayed.
You cannot modify this number.

InkEdge Type of edgecode used in the ink number.

InkEnd Ending ink number for the clip. You Select an operator and then type numbers
cannot modify this number. only in the four colon-separated entry
fields displayed.

InkFilm Film gauge for the ink number.

InkNumber Ink number for the clip. Used for 24p

projects, 25p projects, and matchback
projects only.

Is Multigroup If an asset is a multigroup clip, a green Perform an extended search by using the
check mark is displayed in Assets view attribute name “MultiGroup” and the
and “True” is displayed in Object attribute value “Is Multigroup” or “Is Not
Inspector. Multigroup.

242
 Search Values and Hints on
Heading Description Searching in Interplay

KN Dur Length of the clip, expressed in feet and Select an operator and then type numbers
frames. Used for 24p projects, 25p only in the four colon-separated entry
projects, and matchback projects only. fields displayed.

KNE nd Ending key number for the clip. Used for Select an operator and then type numbers
24p projects, 25p projects, and matchback only in the four colon-separated entry
projects only. fields displayed.

KN Film Key number film gauge.

KN IN-OUT Mark IN and Mark OUT key number for

the clip. Used for 24p projects, 25p
projects, and matchback projects only.

KN Mark IN Key number for the IN point, if you set Select an operator and then type numbers
one for the clip. Used for 24p projects, only in the four colon-separated entry
25p projects, and matchback projects fields displayed.
only.

KN Mark OUT Key number for the OUT point, if you set Select an operator and then type numbers
one for the clip. Used for 24p projects, only in the four colon-separated entry
25p projects, and matchback projects fields displayed.
only.

KN Start Starting key number for the clip. Used for Select an operator and then type numbers
24p projects, 25p projects, and matchback only in the four colon-separated entry
projects only. fields displayed.

Labroll Labroll containing the clip.

Last Checkin Date Date when the asset was last checked in. Select a time range and a particular date
(for example, 12/4/04 or 12/4/2004) or a
time period from the pop-up menu. Click
the calendar to get clickable calendar.

LUT File name of the color look-up table used

for the series of clips or frames.

Mark IN Timecode for the IN point, if you set one Select an operator and then type numbers
for the clip. only in the four colon-separated entry
fields displayed.

Mark OUT Timecode for the OUT point, if you set Select an operator and then type numbers
one for the clip. only in the four colon-separated entry
fields displayed.

Master Dur Length of the final master sequence, Select an operator and then type numbers
expressed in feet and frames. You cannot only in the four colon-separated entry
modify this number. fields displayed.

Master Edge Type of edgecode used in the final master

sequence.

Master End Ending key number for the final master Select an operator and then type numbers
sequence. You cannot modify this only in the four colon-separated entry
number. fields displayed.

Master Film Gauge of the final master sequence.

243
 Search Values and Hints on
Heading Description Searching in Interplay

Master Start Starting key number of the final master Select an operator and then type numbers
sequence. Used for 24p projects, 25p only in the four colon-separated entry
projects, and matchback projects only. fields displayed.

Media File Format Clip media format. MXF or OMF.

Media Size Media file size. Specify KB, MB, GB and type a number.
Note that this specification cannot be
saved in a Saved Search.

Media Status Online, offline, or partially offline status, Select is/is not, and then online, offline,
or exists on another workgroup. partial, or nearonline.

Mob ID Media Object ID

Modified Date When the asset was last modified (from Select a time range and a particular date
the bin). (for example, 12/4/04 or 12/4/2004) or a
time period from the pop-up menu. Click
the calendar to get clickable calendar.

Name The name of the asset. Type text (not case sensitive; spaces
permitted).

Original Bin Name of the bin where the media for this
asset was originally captured.

Original Machine Name Name of the computer where the media

for this asset was originally captured.

Original Path (Orphan Clips folder only) Displays the When used as a search criteria, produces
folder path for an asset whose last link results only for those assets that are still
was deleted. in the Orphan Clips folder or its
subfolders.

Original Project Name of the project under which the Project name (dropdown list).
media for this asset was originally
captured.

Path Path to assets in the Interplay database. Meant to be used in conjuction with other
search conditions to narrow the area
where the results are coming from: for
example, combine a search for all
masterclips that have been updated in the
last 10 minutes and that are in path "/
Projects/MyName/MyBin2.”
Select is or is not, then click the Select
button and choose a path from the tree.
Alternately, select contains or does not
contain and type text.

Perf Film edge perforations format used for 3-

perf projects. Used for projects brought
forward from earlier releases only; now
superseded by the film size and perf
options available in Ink Film, AuxInk
Film, KN Film, and Master Film.

244
 Search Values and Hints on
Heading Description Searching in Interplay

Playable in Access (Interplay Stream Server v2.3 and earlier)

A green triangle in this column indicates
that a clip is can be played in the Interplay
Access Monitor. Also applies to subclips
or shotlists created from playable clips.
Not applicable to Interplay Production
3.5.

Pullin Telecine pulldown of the first frame of the

clip (pulldown phase). Pullin can have the
values A, B, X (matchback only), C, or D.
Used for NTSC 24p projects and
matchback projects only.

Pullout Telecine pulldown of the last frame of the

clip. Pullout can have the values A, B, X
(matchback only), C, or D. Used for 24p
projects and matchback projects only.
(NTSC only)

Record Complete Indicates whether the capture operation is

finished for this asset.

Reel # Source reel number. Used for 24p and 25p

projects only.

Reservation Indicates whether there is a reservation

applied to this asset.

Reserved (Search only) Indicated item is reserved Select a user and then select a time frame.
for specified timeframe by specified user.

S3D Alignment Displays whether or not the media has Criterion for Extended Search in Access
already been aligned by a third-party
application. Presently, this is just an
indicator for the editor. There are no
software functions associated with this
field.
• None (Default)
• Full: Indicates that media has been
pre-aligned by an external
application.

245
 Search Values and Hints on
Heading Description Searching in Interplay

S3D Channel Displays which channel this master clip Criterion for Extended Search in Access
will deliver into the stereoscopic clip.
(Left eye, right eye and monoscopic are
full frame channels, while Side by Side
and Over/Under are frame compatible
channels.)
Left Eye: Indicates that the contents of
this clip are to be used as the Left eye.
Right Eye: Indicates that the contents of
this clip are to be used as the Right eye.
Over/Under: Indicates that this is frame
compatible media in an over/under
format.
Side by side: Indicates that this is frame
compatible media in a side by side
format.
Monoscopic: Indicates that this is a
standard 2D clip (not stereoscopic).

S3D Clip Name Displays the name that was used to name Criterion for Extended Search in Access
the stereoscopic clip when it is created.
The name only needs to be set for one of
the contributing master clips. If no name
is entered for any of the contributing
clips, then the S3D Group name will be
used instead.

S3D Contributors Lists the S3D Channels (master clips) that Criterion for Extended Search in Access
(master clip only) feed into the stereoscopic clip.

S3D Eye Ordering Only available if the media is in a frame Criterion for Extended Search in Access
compatible format with the S3D Channel
set to either Over/Under or Side by Side.
Specifies which half of the image the eye
is displayed.
Left-Right:
• For Side by Side format, the Left eye
is on the left, the Right eye is on the
right.
• For Over/Under format, the Left eye
is in the top half of the image, Right
eye is in the bottom.
Right-Left:
• For Side by Side format, the Right eye
is on the left, Left eye is on the right.
• For Over/Under format, the Right eye
is in the top half of the image, Left
eye is in the bottom.

246
 Search Values and Hints on
Heading Description Searching in Interplay

S3D Group name A common name used to identify all Criterion for Extended Search in Access
master clips originating from the same
stereoscopic footage. The group name is
used by the application to create a single
stereoscopic clip that references these
master clips. Therefore, this name must
be exactly the same for all clips that need
to be grouped into a stereoscopic clip.
When material is captured from tape, this
field is automatically populated for all the
left and right eye master clips.
When material is imported/linked from
file, this data may not be present. If so,
you can select the clips in the bin and
request for auto-population of the group
name.
If an S3D Clip name is not specified, then
the group name is used to name the
stereoscopic clip when it is created.

S3D Inversion Displays if and how the contents of this Criterion for Extended Search in Access
clip should be inverted before being used.
This is useful when beam-splitter rigs are
used during filming, and a mirror is used
to create the image for one of the eyes. In
this case, one of the eyes will be inverted
so it needs to be corrected
None: Leaves the image as is.
Horizontal: Inverts the image
horizontally.
Vertical: Inverts the image vertically.
Horizontal/Vertical: Inverts the image
horizontally and vertically.

S3D InversionR Only available if the media is in a frame Criterion for Extended Search in Access
compatible format with the S3D Channel
set to either Over/Under or Side by Side.
Displays how the part of the image that
provides the right eye should be inverted
before being used.
None: Leaves the image as is.
Horizontal: Inverts the right eye image
horizontally.
Vertical: Inverts the right eye image
vertically.
Horizontal/Vertical: Inverts the right eye
image horizontally and vertically.

247
 Search Values and Hints on
Heading Description Searching in Interplay

S3D Leading Eye Displays which eye image should be used Criterion for Extended Search in Access
(master clip only) when editing with the leading eye.
This is useful in scenarios where a beam-
splitter rig was used during filming. In
such a case, the leading eye is typically
the non-reflected image.
Left: (Default) Indicates that the left eye
image is the leading eye.
Right: Indicates that the right eye image
is the leading eye.

Scene Scene number of the clip. Type text.

ShootDate Date the footage was shot.

Slip Number and direction of perfs for

subclips (audio clips only).

SoundTC Timecode for audio. Select an operator and then type numbers
only in the four colon-separated entry
fields displayed.

Soundroll Sound roll this clip came from. Used for

24p projects, 25p projects, and matchback
projects only.

Source File The source file name (from Media

Composer)

Start Timecode of the clip’s head frame. Select an operator and then type numbers
only in the four colon-separated entry
fields displayed.

Synced Project GUID A unique identifier for a synced project

Synced Project Type One of the following:

• Project: contains folders and bins
• Folder: contains folders and bins
• Bin: contains assets

Take Take number of the scene. Type a number.

Tape Source tape name (from the bin). Type text (not case sensitive; spaces
permitted).

TC24 24-fps timecode. Select an operator and then type numbers

only in the four colon-separated entry
fields displayed.

TC25 25-fps timecode, no pulldown. Used for Select an operator and then type numbers
24p and 25p projects only. only in the four colon-separated entry
fields displayed.

248
 Search Values and Hints on
Heading Description Searching in Interplay

TC25P 25-fps timecode with PAL pulldown. Select an operator and then type numbers
Used for 24p and 25p projects only. only in the four colon-separated entry
fields displayed.

TC30 30-fps timecode with 2:3 pulldown. Used Select an operator and then type numbers
for 24p and 25p projects only. only in the four colon-separated entry
fields displayed.

TC30NP 30-fps timecode with no pulldown Select an operator and then type numbers
(frames 00 through 29). only in the four colon-separated entry
fields displayed.

TC60 60-fps timecode. Used for HD projects. Select an operator and then type numbers
only in the four colon-separated entry
fields displayed.

Text Search only Combination of Name, Tape, User

Attributes, Comments, and Annotations
attributes. Allows you to search for text in
all attributes at once. Type text (not case
sensitive; spaces permitted).

Track Formats Multichannel audio tracks for master

clips and audio clips.

Tracking Displays colored icons that indicate the

status of shared assets across workgroups.
For more information, see “Viewing the
Status Assets Across Workgroups (Asset
Tracking).”

Tracks All tracks used by the asset (from the bin) Select Video, Audio, Data, or Timecode

Transfer Frame-counting field for sources that

have been prepped for transfer. The
format is the following: a descriptor of up
to 32 alphanumeric characters, followed
by a hyphen (-), followed by a six-digit
frame count, for example,
TransferChildDocu-023657.

Type Type of asset. Select an operator and then an asset type

from the dropdown list.

UNC Path Universal Naming Convention that

specifies the location of resources on a
server. The location you type becomes a
hyperlink to that location. Ctrl+click the
cell, and then type the location.

Version Comment For file assets, the version comment for

the last version checked in, or a check out
comment if the asset is checked out.

249
 Search Values and Hints on
Heading Description Searching in Interplay

VFX Frame-counting field for visual effects.

The format is the following: a descriptor
of up to 32 alphanumeric characters,
followed by a hyphen (-), followed by a
six-digit frame count, for example,
FXChildDocu-023657.

VFX Reel Source reel identification for the FX shot.

Video ID Lists the identification number created to

track a clip in a broadcast environment.
This ID is equivalent to the Tape ID in
Avid editors. You can edit this field in
Interplay Access.

VITC Vertical interval timecode.

Workspace Name of an Avid shared-storage Type the name of the workspace.

workspace

250
E Server Error Codes

The following table lists the error codes and the textual expressions that the Interplay Engine can
return.

0x52e Logon failure: unknown user name or bad password.

0x525 The specified user does not exist.

0x8000ffff Failed to open the database (catastrophic failure). Contact your

administrator. May require Avid support.

8007000e out of memory

80070005 Failed to open project: Access denied. The project is deactivated.

80004001 not implemented

80004005 general failure

89990010 out of range

89990011 nesting too deep

89990012 the operation was only partially successful

89990013 operation was canceled

89990020 database not initialized

89990021 database already initialized

89990022 database not available

89990023 database not found

89990024 database not open

89990025 database already exists

89990026 cannot load database initialization file

89990027 unable to write to database. Please contact your system administrator.

89990028 the database is not active

89990030 invalid path

89990031 invalid name

89990032 invalid handle

89990033 invalid destination

89990034 invalid property

89990035 invalid parameter

89990036 invalid filename

89990037 invalid object

89990038 invalid hostname

89990039 invalid macro string or tool installation file

89990040 object not found

89990041 parent not found

89990042 the template for the object could not be found

89990043 iterator is invalid for this iteration-capable command

89990050 property not found

89990051 property not set

89990052 cannot set property

89990053 cannot modify the property

89990054 the property is read-only

89990055 the object's style sheet was not found

89990057 the streamed property name is too long

89990060 folder not empty

89990061 object is not a folder

89990062 an item with that name already exists

89990068 dependency usage too long

89990069 The operation failed because non-versionable objects cannot live in

versionable folders

89990070 cannot delete the root object

89990071 tree is not mounted into file system

89990072 root object has no parent

89990073 invalid operation for root object

89990080 cannot open file

89990081 cannot write to file

89990082 cannot read from file

89990083 the file does not exist

89990084 file system operation failed

89990085 access to file denied

89990086 sharing violation

89990087 corrupt file

89990090 cannot set mount point

252
89990091 object not mounted into file system

89990092 cannot create directory

89990093 cannot move directory or file

89990094 cannot copy file

89990095 cannot delete directory or file

89990096 cannot create a link to a link

89990097 folder does not exist

8999009b cannot move the item to another branch. Due to the branch settings, the
source and destination locations are in different branches.

8999009c cannot create a share to a file in another branch. Due to the branch settings,
the share and share target locations are in different branches.

8999009d The original parent is currently in the recycle bin

8999009e The original parent does not exist anymore

89990100 database not found

89990101 database with that name already exists

89990102 default database location not set

89990110 workspace not initialized

89990111 workspace already initialized

89990120 already connected to a server

89990121 not connected to a server

89990122 cannot connect to server

89990123 cannot disconnect from server

89990124 The database share on the server is not accessible. Please contact your
administrator.

89990130 client connection was refused

89990131 invalid user name or password

89990132 client is not logged on

89990140 cannot lock folders, only files

89990141 cannot lock system items

89990142 the object could not be checked out

89990143 not authorized for this operation

89990144 the item is already checked out

89990145 the item is not checked out

89990146 the item is checked out by someone else

253
89990147 the object could not be checked in

89990148 the working path for the item is not set

89990149 error during reversal of transaction, file still pending, you must recover
manually

8999014a the item is already checked out to you

8999014b the item is checked out exclusively by someone else

8999014c multiple check out is not possible for this item

8999014d Another check-in operation was performed before yours. Try the merge
again against the correct version.

8999014e The item or one of its children is checked out

89990160 the server evaluation period expired

89990161 limited server license

89990162 the dongle is not available on the server

89990163 the registration key is invalid

89990164 the server and client versions are not compatible

89990165 the server could not be instantiated (is the server installed on this
machine?)

89990166 the server is locked by the Administrator

89990167 the server is low on virtual memory

89990168 the server is low on disk space

89990169 the server is out of disk space

89990170 the specified search expression is invalid

89990171 the database is locked by the Administrator

89990172 a temporary key cannot be installed if a permanent key is already active

89990173 the server with the CCS is locked by the Administrator

89990174 The server is temporarily locked because of a shutdown

89990175 cannot init indexed search

89990177 The hardware id is invalid

89990178 The license key contained one or more expired licenses. These licenses are
ignored.

89990179 A backup is already in progress.

254
89990181 Failed to open the database (The server is in exclusive access mode).
Contact your administrator.
This message is displayed when the server is in Exclusive Access mode, for
example, when the Interplay administrator is using system maintenance
tools (see “Running Database Maintenance Tools” on page 65). Exclusive
Access can be acquired and released in the Lock Server view,
independently of the Maintenance tools.

89990183 The last partial or full backup time is not available.

This message is displayed when an incremental or differential backup was
attempted, but could not run because there is no previously created full
backup or incremental/differential backup (in case of an incremental
backup).

89990192 The object or one of its sub-objects is locked. It is not possible to make
changes to this object.

89990195 the database was created with a newer version and cannot be opened with
this server

89990196 The transaction commit failed because a merge is needed

8999019c a file or folder has a pending change

8999019f setting a property failed because the condition for setting did not match

899901a1 Object is reserved and cannot be deleted.

899901a4 An item in a folder was removed while the folder was being enumerated

899901a6 object cannot be deleted because it is referencing online media

89990200 object not initialized

89990201 object not found

89990202 object already exists

89990220 CopyFile command failed

89990221 file already exists

89990222 file does not exist

89990224 cookie file does not exist

89990225 can not create cookie file

89990226 can not read cookie file

89990227 cookie file is corrupt

89990228 found cookie does not match wanted cookie

89990230 object must support INxNPersistDatabase

89990231 object must support INxNPersistDatabaseObj

89990232 object must support INxNVersionControlProperty

89990233 object must support INxNHandleStore

89990234 object must support INxNHandleStoreObj

255
89990235 unknown command passed to RunCommand

89990236 requested version was not found

89990237 versions are identical

89990238 not enough free disk space for new version

89990239 can not rollback to latest version

89990240 user is not correctly logged on

89990244 The specified object was already touched in the current transaction

89990250 incorrect cookie

89990251 incorrect user name

89990252 incorrect password

89990253 version control database not found

89990260 lookup for vital creation properties failed

89990261 version control is disabled for this object

89990262 Connect to version control server failed

89990280 Copying file from server location to local destination failed

89990290 archive is corrupted

89990291 file is not of correct type

89990292 Disabling version creation for abstract assets is not supported

89990300 the user 'UserManagement' is not allowed

89990301 user rights do not allow this operation

89990302 user/user group exists already

89990303 command exists already

89990304 user does not exist

89990305 user is invalid

89990306 user rights do not allow this operation in system folder

89990307 user rights do not allow this operation in level

89990308 user rights do not allow this operation (no ownership)

89990309 the login was disabled for this database

89990310 database is not a CCS

89990311 The given object is not an action

89990312 The given object is not a role

89990313 The given object is not an action category

89990314 The given action category name already used by another action category

256
89990315 The given action name already used by another action

89990316 The given action id is already used by another action

89990317 Unable to complete the operation because the action exists with another
type

89990318 The given role name already used by another role

89990319 The given role id is already used by another role

89990320 Unable to complete the operation because the role exists with another type

89990321 The operation cannot be performed on a system defined role

89990322 The operation cannot be performed on a system defined action

89990323 The action is not assigned to the role

89990324 The system id's for roles or actions are out - impossible to create new
system actions or roles

89990326 The operation is not permitted on the user administrator

89990327 The initialization of the authorization subsystem failed - read message for
more information

89990340 The initialization of the user management subsystem failed - read message
for more information

89990341 A generic command was called which is not supported for user or group
objects

89990342 Internal requirements for user or groups objects are not fulfilled (for
example, link broken)

89990351 The given user name is already used

89990352 The given user could not be created

89990353 The user can neither be moved nor removed (that is, users cannot be moved
from the Everyone group and the Administrator cannot be moved from the
Administrators group)

89990354 The given user shall be destroyed but was not deleted before

89990355 Not a user

89990356 Your user account has been deleted

89990361 The given group name is already used

89990362 The given group could not be created

89990363 The given group can neither be removed nor moved

89990364 the member creation for the given group failed

89990365 the group cannot be destroyed because it contains children

89990366 not a serigraph

8999036 the group must not contain other groups

257
89990368 the database is from a different CCS and needs a migration

89990369 could not connect to the LDAP server

8999036a The operation failed because the object is protected by a reservation

8999036b CCS Connection failed

8999036c CCS is corrupt (for example, GUID missing)

8999036d The authorization config file is missing

8999036e The CCS does not have the same version as the server of the database

89990370 An LDAP search enum failed

89990371 Structural changes are not allowed on that object

89990372 No Children can be added to this folder or moved out of this folder

89990401 no handler was found

89990450 There is no open session for this client. If you are using an older version of
the client, JXDK or MDK please upgrade to a newer version

89990500 cannot convert variant to given type

89990600 HTTP request error

89990601 continue

89990602 switching protocols

89990603 OK

89990604 created

89990605 accepted

89990606 non-authoritative information

89990607 no content

89990608 reset content

89990609 partial content

89990610 multiple choices

89990611 permanently moved

89990612 moved temporarily

89990613 see other

89990614 not modified

89990615 use proxy

89990620 bad request

89990621 unauthorized

89990622 payment required

89990623 forbidden

258
89990624 not found

89990625 method not allowed

89990626 not acceptable

89990627 proxy authentication required

89990628 request timeout

89990629 conflict

8999062a gone

8999062b length required

8999062c precondition failed

8999062d request entity too large

8999062e request URI too long

8999062f unsupported media type

89990630 internal server error

89990631 not implemented

89990632 bad gateway

89990633 service unavailable

89990634 gateway timeout

89990635 HTTP version not supported

89990700 database journal error

89990701 database journal initialization failed

89990702 database journal recovery failed

89990703 invalid entry in database journal found

89990704 failed to apply database journal transaction

89990705 failed to apply database journal operation

89990706 error opening database journal

89990707 error reading from database journal

89990708 error writing to database journal

89990709 database journal file error

89990800 SQL error

89990801 SQL error, more info available

89990802 invalid SQL configuration

89990900 the sender of the message does not exist

89990901 the recipient of the message does not exist

259
89990902 The sender must be a user. It cannot be a user group

89990903 The attachment of the message is invalid

89990904 A block size was 0 or negative

89990905 A message handle was invalid

89990906 the viewing counter of a mailbox is inconsistent with the viewing status of
the messages

89990907 the outbox of a user could not be created

89990908 the inbox of a user could not be created

89990a00 Could not open an image because the file could not be found or the caller is
not allowed to open the file.

89990a01 Could not read an image. The file could be opened but not be read.

89990a02 Could not create an image file. Maybe the destination folder does not exist
or the caller is not allowed to write to that location.

89990a03 Could not write an image file. The file was created but writing to the file
failed. This could for example happen if disk has insufficient disk space.

89990a04 The image could not be read because it does not have a known format.

89990a05 The image could not be read because the bitmap in it is invalid.

89990a06 An unknown error occurred in the image lib.

89990a07 An image could not be loaded or saved because the license for the LZW
algorithm is not available.

89990a08 The image could not be read or stored because the file or image has an
invalid format.

89990b00 The LDAP server detected an internal error, LDAP error:

LDAP_OPERATIONS_ERROR(0x1)

89990b01 The LDAP server received an invalid request from the server, LDAP error:
LDAP_PROTOCOL_ERROR(0x2)

89990b02 A specified time limit was exceeded in a request to the LDAP server,
LDAP error: LDAP_TIMELIMIT_EXCEEDED(0x3)

89990b03 A specified size limit was exceeded in a request to the LDAP server, LDAP
error: LDAP_SIZELIMIT_EXCEEDED(0x4)

89990b04 The LDAP server does not support the authentication method specified by
the server, LDAP error:
LDAP_AUTH_METHOD_NOT_SUPPORTED(0x7)

89990b05 The request sent to the LDAP server required strong authentication and
therefore failed, LDAP error: LDAP_STRONG_AUTH_REQUIRED(0x8)

89990b06 A limit set by the LDAP administrator was exceeded in a request to the
LDAP server, LDAP error: LDAP_ADMINLIMIT_EXCEEDED(0xB)

89990b07 The LDAP server was unable to satisfy a request because one or more
critical extensions were not available, LDAP error:
LDAP_UNAVAILABLE_CRITICAL_EXTENSION(0xC)

260
89990b08 The request sent to the LDAP server required confidentiality by the
transport protocol and therefore failed, LDAP error:
LDAP_CONFIDENTIALITY_REQUIRED(0xD)

89990b09 A search request sent to the LDAP server is not compatible with the
attribute syntax specified by the LDAP database, LDAP error:
LDAP_INAPPROPRIATE_MATCHING(0x12)

89990b0a An LDAP object specified in a request could be found by the LDAP server,
LDAP error: LDAP_NO_SUCH_OBJECT(0x20)

89990b0b The LDAP server detected an error when trying to dereference an alias,
LDAP error: LDAP_ALIAS_PROBLEM(0x21)

89990b0c The syntax of a DN sent to the LDAP server is incorrect, LDAP v:

LDAP_INVALID_DN_SYNTAX(0x22)

89990b0d The LDAP server cannot perform the operation on a leaf entry, LDAP
error: LDAP_IS_LEAF(0x23)

89990b0e A search request sent to the LDAP server could not dereference an alias
because of missing access rights, LDAP error:
LDAP_ALIAS_DEREF_PROBLEM(0x24)

89990b0f An incorrect authentication method was used when sending a request to the
LDAP server, LDAP v: LDAP_INAPPROPRIATE_AUTH(0x30)

89990b10 The credentials sent to the LDAP server are invalid, LDAP error:
LDAP_INVALID_CREDENTIALS(0x31)

89990b11 The request sent to the LDAP server was not completed because of missing
access rights, LDAP error: LDAP_INSUFFICIENT_ACCESS(0x32)

89990b12 The LDAP server is too busy at the moment to fulfill the request, LDAP v:
LDAP_BUSY(0x33)

89990b13 The LDAP server is currently unavailable, LDAP v:

LDAP_UNAVAILABLE(0x34)

89990b14 The LDAP server cannot process the request due to server-defined
restrictions, LDAP error: LDAP_UNWILLING_TO_PERFORM(0x35)

89990b15 A loop was detected in an LDAP alias or referral, LDAP error:

LDAP_LOOP_DETECT(0x36)

89990b18 The LDAP server could not complete the request because it violates the
naming convention, LDAP error: LDAP_NAMING_VIOLATION(0x40)

89990b19 The LDAP server could not complete the request because it violates the
rules set for the object class, LDAP error:
LDAP_OBJECT_CLASS_VIOLATION(0x41)

89990b1a The LDAP server cannot perform the operation on a non-leaf entry, LDAP
error: LDAP_NOT_ALLOWED_ON_NONLEAF(0x42)

89990b1b The LDAP server cannot perform the operation because it attempts to
change attributes that are necessary for the relative DN of the entry, LDAP
error: LDAP_NOT_ALLOWED_ON_RDN(0x43)

89990b1c The LDAP server cannot perform the operation because the entry already
exists, LDAP error: LDAP_ALREADY_EXISTS(0x44)

261
89990b1d The LDAP server cannot perform the operation because it would change
the structure rules of the object class, LDAP error:
LDAP_NO_OBJECT_CLASS_MODS(0x45)

89990b1e The results of a request to the LDAP server are too large to return them,
LDAP error: LDAP_RESULTS_TOO_LARGE(0x46)

89990b1f The LDAP operation needs to be performed by multiple LDAP servers,

where this operation is not permitted, LDAP error:
LDAP_AFFECTS_MULTIPLE_DSAS(0x47)

89990b20 The LDAP server cannot perform the operation because of a virtual list
view error, LDAP error: LDAP_VIRTUAL_LIST_VIEW_ERROR(0x4C)

89990b21 The LDAP server encountered an unknown error, LDAP error:

LDAP_OTHER(0x50)

89990b22 The LDAP server could not be contacted, LDAP error:

LDAP_SERVER_DOWN(0x51)

89990b23 The LDAP client detected an error, LDAP error:

LDAP_LOCAL_ERROR(0x52)

89990b24 The LDAP protocol detected an encoding error, LDAP error:

LDAP_ENCODING_ERROR(0x53)

89990b25 The LDAP protocol detected an decoding error, LDAP error:

LDAP_DECODING_ERROR(0x54)

89990b26 An LDAP search was aborted because of a timeout, LDAP error:

LDAP_TIMEOUT(0x55)

89990b27 The LDAP server encountered an unknown authentication error, LDAP

error: LDAP_AUTH_UNKNOWN(0x56)

89990b28 An LDAP search filter has an invalid format, LDAP error:

LDAP_FILTER_ERROR(0x57)

89990b29 An LDAP operation was cancelled by the user, LDAP error:

LDAP_USER_CANCELLED(0x58)

89990b2a An LDAP operation failed because an invalid parameter was specified,

LDAP error: LDAP_PARAM_ERROR(0x59)

89990b2b n LDAP operation failed because the system is out of memory, LDAP
error: LDAP_NO_MEMORY(0x5a)

89990b2c The LDAP connection could not be created, LDAP error:

LDAP_CONNECT_ERROR(0x5b)

89990b2d An LDAP operation failed because it is not supported by the LDAP server,
LDAP error: LDAP_NOT_SUPPORTED(0x5c)

89990b2e The LDAP server refused to return results, LDAP error:

LDAP_NO_RESULTS_RETURNED(0x5e)

89990b2f An LDAP operation failed because a required control was not found,
LDAP error: LDAP_CONTROL_NOT_FOUND(0x5d)

89990b31 A loop was detected in an LDAP alias or referral, LDAP error:

LDAP_CLIENT_LOOP(0x60)

262
89990b32 An LDAP operation failed because a referral required too many referral
hops, LDAP error: LDAP_REFERRAL_LIMIT_EXCEEDED(0x61)

89990b50 The operation failed because the user authentication provider is not enabled

89990b51 The authentication failed because empty passwords are not allowed

89990b52 The CCS was unable to retrieve the users from a user authentication
provider

89990b53 The specified user authentication provider was not found

89990b54 The required setting for the LDAP server is not set

89990b55 The required setting for the LDAP user object class is not set

89990b56 The required setting for the LDAP user name attribute is not set

89990b57 The specified search root DN was not found

89990b70 The Unity API could not be found

263
F Consistency Check Codes

The following tables explain the codes reported when you run a Consistency Check:
• Consistency Check Critical Errors
• Consistency Check Errors
• Consistency Check Warnings

c The Consistency Check is for support purposes. You should perform this check only if
requested by Avid Technical Support.

Consistency Check Critical Errors

c If any of the following critical errors are reported, do not use your database; contact Avid
immediately using the protocol outlined in the “If You Need Help” topic in the front of this
manual.

Code Meaning

7050 object refers to the wrong parent

7051 object is not exist in name directory

7052 object has an invalid BIH

7053 object has an invalid BDH

7088 pending change table inconsistency

7089 pending change table inconsistency

7099 object doesn't have a parent

7100 internal error in database structure

7101 internal error in database structure

7110 streamed properties structure invalid

7141 repository data corruption

7142 repository data corruption

7143 repository data corruption

7144 repository data corruption

11064 user management failed to initialize

 Consistency Check Errors

Consistency Check Errors

n If any of the following errors are reported, some problems were found related to the particular
object. It is still possible to use your database, but you should contact Avid using the protocol
outlined in the “If You Need Help” topic in the front of this manual to resolve the problem.

Code Meaning

7061 Not possible to determine the server master path for the file

7063 file doesn't exist

7064 internal object state is invalid

7065 internal object state is invalid

7066 internal object state is invalid

7067 internal object state is invalid

7068 internal object state is invalid

7069 internal object state is invalid

7070 object history is not accurate

7071 object history is not accurate

7077 internal object state is invalid

7078 internal object state is invalid

7081 internal object state is invalid

7082 internal object state is invalid

7083 internal object state is invalid

7085 internal object state is invalid

7111 unknown property handle

7112 streamed property flag is not set

7113 unknown streamed property name

7114 invalid streamed property

7153 internal object state is invalid

7171 link is invalid

7172 link is invalid

7173 link is invalid

7174 link is invalid

7175 link is invalid

7176 link is invalid

265
 Consistency Check Warnings

Code Meaning

11058 master user is not valid

11059 master user is not valid

11060 master user does not exist

11061 master user is not valid

11062 master user is not valid

23020 authorization assignment is incorrect

23021 authorization assignment is incorrect

23023 authorization assignment is incorrect

Consistency Check Warnings

If any of the following warnings are reported, some problems were found, but no action is urgently
needed.

Code Meaning

7062 file size mismatch

7072 invalid dependency source

7073 invalid dependency source

7074 invalid dependency target

7075 invalid dependency target

7076 incorrect dependency type

7091 pending change problem fixed

23022 invalid entry in the authorization role table. This can happen when there is
an entry in the permission table that does not refer back to an object. For
example, an object was deleted or the creation of a folder was cancelled.

266
 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Index

Symbols Archive Engine

setting computer name 150
_Backup directory Archive settings
described 23 adding AAF metadata 150
_Buckets directory allow duplicate media files 149
described 23 allow metadata archive 149
_Database directory archive segment 149
backing up and restoring 25, 25 archive server name 149
described 23 best effort restore 150
_Master directory duplicate versions 149
described 23 online database 150
_PropertyStore directory segment size 150
backing up and restoring 25, 25 server name 150
described 23 use best effort 149
Archive Settings view 149
Numerics Archiving 149
Attributes
7-Zip setting for users or groups 109
for Interplay backups 33 Authentication
described 91
global 91
A setting for individual users 112
AAF metadata Authentication providers
adding to tape archive 150 for individual users 112
Access control global 91
for custom properties 132 Automatic backups
Accumulated inherited role scheduling 29
described 110 Automatic reservations 178
Activating Automatic timeout
database 54 setting 183
Active Directory AvDeletes.log 214
authentication through LDAP 97 Avid
authentication through Windows Domain 95 online support 10
authentication with multiple domains 103 training services 12
automatically importing individual users 105 Avid assets
Administrator role described 14
described 110 Avid Instinct
Administrators group 107 Application Database options 172
Apache web server Media Composer Cloud options 186
activating creation of access.log 212 setting Application Database options 170, 171
folder and files 210 setting user options 186
Application Database Settings view 170, 171 user options 188
options 172 Avid Interplay
Application key (dongle) client-server application 16
and licenses 77 optimizing performance 195
Archive Avid Interplay Administrator
metadata override 166 See Interplay Administrator

267
Index ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Avid Interplay Assist C

Application Database options 172
Media Composer Cloud options 186 Categories
setting Application Database options 170, 171 adding 142
setting user options 186 configuring 142
user options 188 removing 143
Avid Interplay Engine directory Central Configuration Server (CCS)
Apache folder 210 adding users 90
Data folder 212 caution when moving 87
folders and files 210 described 16
Logs folder 213 moving to another server 88
Preview Server folder 216 overview 87
Server folder 217 selecting a different server 89
Avid Interplay Engine Server process 218 Clean Up Invalid Dependencies tool 65
locking or shutting down 199 Client access
Avid Media Composer configuration 232
setting Application Database option 170, 171 Client connections
Avid Service Framework troubleshooting 195
Services views 193 Clients
Avid Unity disconnecting all 77
authentication 94 list of connected 72
Avid Unity MediaManager ClusterResourceFailure event 228
migrating users from 107 Complete backup
Avid Workgroup Engine Monitor service 223 described 25, 25
Avid Workgroup HTTP Server process 219 Config.xml 225
Avid Workgroup Preview Server service 220 supported actions 227
Avid Workgroup Server Browser service 219 supported events 228
Avid Workgroup TCP/COM Bridge service 222 Configuration files
Avid Workgroup VSS service 223 Interplay Engine 225
AvidAM.pro file Configuring
described 23 automatic backup 26
AvidWG.pro file categories 142
described 23 client access 232
AvMetaDataDelete.log 215 Interplay Engine files 225
AvMoveEx.log 216 project token attributes 232
remote workgroups 140
Consistency Check
B critical errors 264
BackupArchive tool 42 error codes 264
BackupFailed event 228 errors 265
Backups performing 48
described 25, 25 warnings 266
manual, starting 32, 32 Create Database view 22
metadata-only for support 47 Custom Meta Data tab
number of backups to keep 26 using 129
partial restore 44 Custom properties
performing 29 adding 129
recommendations for configuring 26 creating 129
restoring 34 custom lists for 134
scheduling 29 extended search 136
scheduling automatic backups 29 improved search 137
using archiving tool 33 removing a list 136
Best effort restore setting access control 132
setting 150 XML files for 134

268
 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ Index

D Error codes
Consistency Check 264
Data folder 212 server 251
Database Event Manager settings 225
activating 54 Everyone group 107
backing up 25 Exclusive Access
blocking access to 119 for maintenance tools 65
changing root folders 71 setting and releasing 73
creating 22 Exiting
deactivating 53 Interplay Administrator 21
described 13 Exporting
directories and files 23 license 85
locking 52 Extended search
migrating 55 custom properties 136
moving (clustered) 60
moving (non-clustered) 57
moving database and users (clustered) 61 F
moving database and users (non-clustered) 58 Failed to Delete folder 155
moving when disk space low 63 Fast backup
renaming 64 described 25
restoring 25 File assets
restoring example 40 described 14
unlocking 52 Filetransfer server 236
viewing information about 48 Firewalls
Database asset troubleshooting 196
deletion 155 Folderlocations.xml
Database Information View 48 described 23
Database repair tools 65 Folders
DCOMConfig Settings 218 assigning roles to 114
Deactivating blocking access to 119
database 53 setting ownership 152
Delete Kept Media tool 164 Frame Locators tab
Delete Lost File Mobs tool 65 configuring display 183
Deleting Full backup
options for deleting locked media 163 described 25, 25
options for deleting OMF or MXF 163
overview 155
scheduling 160 G
users and user groups 113
General role assignments
Dictionaries
setting 117
for custom properties 134
viewing 114
Differential backup
Global authentication 91
described 25
DiskLimit event 228
Dongle H
and licenses 77
Handover directories
DRM (restrictions) 241
described 23
Duration attribute 241
Hardware ID 77
Dynamic relink
Help
Editor Database option 172
opening 20

E
I
Editor Database option 186
Imported Users group 107
E-mail notifications
Importing
errors and severity level 232
LDAP users 97
Engine Monitor Service 223

269
Index ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

license 78 Interplay workgroup

users 91 described 13
Windows domain users 95 multiple workgroups 14
Incremental backup InterplayRestore tool
described 25 described 34
Inherited rights 110 example 40
IN-OUT attribute 242
Instinct/Assist User Settings view 186
options 188
J
Interplay Access Journal files
default folders in 22 described 23
defining property layouts for 124
enabling login from Avid ISIS 94
enabling login from LDAP 97 K
enabling login from Windows domain 95 Kept Media folder 155
Interplay Administrator
described 16
exiting 21 L
Help 20 LDAP authentication 97
opening a view 19 LDAP server settings 99
starting 17 LicenseKeyInfo.exe 86
Interplay Administrator views Licenses
opening 19 displaying and printing 86
Interplay Administrator window exporting 85
using 18 importing 78
Interplay Archive Engine managing 77
described 15 permanent 78
Interplay database troubleshooting 85
described 13 types 81
See also Database Licenses view 80
Interplay Engine Lock Server view 73
Avid Interplay Engine Server process 218 Lock/Unlock Database view 52
Avid Workgroup Engine Monitor service 223 Locked clips
Avid Workgroup HTTP Server process 219 deleting 163
Avid Workgroup Preview Server service 220 Locking
Avid Workgroup Server Browser service 219 database 52
Avid Workgroup TCP/COM Bridge service 222 server process 199
Avid Workgroup VSS service 223 Log files
configuration files 225 deletion 155
described 13 LogEvent event 228
folders and files 210 Logging in
optimizing performance 195 troubleshooting 194
ports used 217 Logging out
servers and services 217 Interplay Administrator 21
Interplay Media Services Engine Logs folder 213
registering 144 Logwatch.xml 231
Interplay Media Services view 146
Interplay Portal
viewing 10 M
Interplay Transfer
Maintenance
configuring for remote workgroups 140
database repair tools 65
Interplay Transfer Settings view 147
Manage Database Roles view 114
Interplay Transfer Status view 147
Managing Databases view 53
Interplay Window
Manual backup
automatic reservation 178
starting 32, 32

270
 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ Index

Media Composer P
setting Application Database option 170, 171
Media Composer Cloud Partial restore
settings in Interplay Administrator 186 optimized 151
Media Composer Cloud Settings view Passwords
options 186 viewing and setting 109
Media Indexer PEBCO 167
registering in Interplay Administrator 144 Perform Consistency Check view 48
MediaCentral Platform Performance
authentication provider 93 optimizing Interplay 195
MediaManager Permanent license 78
migrating users from 107 Permissions
Metadata setting 110
system, list 238 See also Roles
Metadata override Presets
for archive 166 workgroup transfer 147
Migrated Users group 107 Preview Server folder 216
Migrating pro file
database 55 described 23
Moving Pro Tools
database (clustered) 60 plug-ins for Interplay 192
database (non-clustered) 57 Production Engine Bus Connector 167
database and users (clustered) 61 Property Layout view 124
database and users (non-clustered) 58
database when disk space low 63 R
MXF files
option for deleting 163 Read role
described 110
Read/Write role
N described 110
No Access role Read/Write/Delete role
described 110 described 110
NxNServerLock.exe Recover Lost Master Mobs tool 65
locking server process 199 Referenced assets
moving database with 63 option to delete 164
NxNServerShutdown.exe Remote workgroups
moving database with 63 configuring for search or transfer 140
shutting down server process 199 Remove Duplicated Locators tool 65
NxNServerUnlock.exe Renaming
moving database with 63 database 64
NXNServerUser.exe Reservations
recreating Server Execution User 198 automatic 178
Resolutions
italics for unsupported 128
O setting available in clients 127
Object Inspector Restart Server view 77
configuring Frame Locators 183 Restarting
configuring Restrictions 184 server 77
OMF files Restore
option for deleting 163 optimized partial 151
Online support 10 Restoring
Optimized Partial Restore 151 backup version 34
Orphan Clips folder partial restore 44
changes for v2.4 155 Restrictions
types of links 160 DRM property 241
Ownership Behavior view 152 Restrictions tab
configuring display 184

271
Index ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Reuniting reuniting AvidWG only 203

split database 200 Start timecode
Rights changing default for shotlist 182
setting 110 Storage
See also Roles configuring third-party 86
Robocopy Streamed properties
for Interplay backups 33 described 23
Role assignments Synced Projects
general 114 enabling 153
Roles System metadata
assigning to folders 114 list 238
described 110
viewing and changing 111
Root folders
T
setting 71 Taxonomies
for custom properties 134
S TCP/COM Bridge service 222
TCP/IP
Schedule Backups view 29 ports required 217
Scheduled deletion 160 Third-party storage
Searches configuring 86
custom properties 136 Timecode
custom properties, improving 137 changing default start for shotlist 182
Searching Timeout
remote workgroups 140 setting automatic 183
Send mail action 227 Tracks attribute 249
Server Training services 12
error codes 251 Transferring
information about 72 to remote workgroup 140
locking 73 Transfers
restarting 77 configuring transfer engines 147
shutting down 73 monitoring status 147
unlocking 73 preset view 147
Server Event configuration Troubleshooting 10
example 230 client connection problems 195
Server Event Manager firewalls 196
configuring 225 licenses 85
Server Execution User login-in problems 194
creating 196 optimizing Interplay performance 195
described 16 server process 199
recreating 198
troubleshooting 196
Server folder 217
U
Server Hostname Settings view 144 Unlocking
Server Information view 72 database 52
Server Settings view 71 User Authentication Providers view 91
ServerXML.xml 232 User groups
Service Configuration view (Avid Service Framework) adding 108
193 default 107
Shotlist deleting 113
changing default start timecode 182 removing users from 114
Shutting down roles 110
server process 199 setting attributes for 109
Split database setting passwords for 109
configuring workgroup.xml file 209 User management
reuniting 200 guidelines 122
reuniting AvidWG and _InternalData 205 User Management view 106

272
 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ Index

Users
adding from Avid Unity 94
adding manually 109
adding to a CCS 90
default 107
deleting 113
disconnecting all 77
importing 91
importing from LDAP 97
importing from Windows domain 95
list of connected 72
management guidelines 122
managing 106
removing from group 114
roles 110
setting attributes for 109
setting passwords for 109

V
Validate User Tree tool 65
Verify Link Consistency tool 65
VITC (Vertical Interval Timecode)
in a bin 250
VSS service 223

W
WG_Database$
identifying root folder for 70
Windows Domain authentication 95
Workgroup name
setting 144
Workgroup Properties view (Avid Service Framework)
193
Workgroup Transfer Presets view 147
workgroup.xml file
configuring for file transfer server 236
configuring for split database 209
Workgroups
described 13
multiple workgroups 14
remote 140

X
XML files
for custom properties 134

273