Before configuring .edge, it is useful to understand how each processing blade is controlled and where its settings are stored.

Remote Control Options

All of the parameters for a processing blade are controlled, via the network, in one of three ways: using HOME, Ember+ or REST API. 

As .edge supports native control via Lawo's HOME, this section assumes that you using HOME as the control interface.

Prerequisites

It is expected that customers will have a HOME cluster and so, once the HOME server(s) are configured, .edge devices are automatically detected by HOME.

You can learn how to configure the processing blade's network interfaces later. For now, it is useful to know that, by default, the MGMT 1 port is configured for DHCP. This means that, once a blade is connected to the HOME network using MGMT 1, its control IP address is assigned automatically (by HOME's DHCP server).

To control a processing blade using HOME, you will need a computer that is installed with a suitable web browser application. The computer must be connected to the same network and subnet as the .edge processing blades and the HOME server(s).

Computer / Browser Requirements

To run the HOME Web UI, your computer MUST meet or exceed the following requirements:
  • CPU: Intel i3 or higher
  • RAM: 64 MB
  • Network Interface Card: operating at 100 or 1000 Base-T
  • Screen Resolution: >= 1024 x 786 (FullHD is recommended)
  • Web Browser: Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Apple Safari or Mozilla Firefox. Please install the latest version of the browser for best performance.

For the best user experience, we recommend running HOME in a browser as used in Lawo's labs (e.g. Google Chrome v100.x or higher).

Opening a Connection to HOME

1.    Start by connecting your computer's LAN port to the network and configure its Network Interface Card (NIC) settings.
  • The IP address must be unique, and set within the same range as that of the HOME servers management NIC(s).
  • The subnet masks should be identical.
  • A default gateway is required if data packets are to be redirected. For example, if you are connecting via a network switch with Layer 3 routing capability. If redirection is not required, then the default gateway can be left blank.

2.    Open your web browser application and type in either http://IP address:5000/ or the domain name of the HOME server followed by port :5000

3.    Press Enter.

Following a successful connection, the 'Sign in' screen appears.

If you do not see this screen, then please try the troubleshooting tips (described here).

4.    At the 'Sign In' screen, enter the following credentials:

  • Username = admin
  • Password = password

5.    Click on the Sign In button.

Following a successful sign in, the HOME 'Devices' page appears (listing all devices known to HOME).

Working with the HOME UI

The HOME user interface appears in one of two views, depending on the width of the browser window. The only difference is the location of the page menu which appears either in a sidebar (on the left of the screen) OR as drop-down menu (beside the HOME system label). 

The example below shows the 'Devices' page on a reduced-width screen. The annotations explain the general operation.

The HOME Web UI can operate in either light or dark mode: click on the Theme icon (top right) to toggle the view.

The Filters button can be used to filter the contents of the list. For example, to view only the devices in a particular location.

For more information about these, and other features of HOME, please see HOME - Operating Principles (in the "HOME - User Manual").

Identifying the .edge Devices

Each .edge processing blade appears as a separate device. So, if you connect all four processing blades (from a single frame), then HOME displays these as four separate entries.

By default, the blades are assigned a default label: .edge_Slot1 to .edge_Slot 4, where slot 1 is the master processing blade (fitted to the highest physical slot in the frame).

  • If a processing blade does not appear, or shows as Offline, then check that it is powered and connected to the HOME server network.
  • If a processing blade is showing as Quarantined, then it must be approved before you can continue. To learn more, please see Approve or Quarantine a Device (in the HOME - User Manual).
  • If you need help identifying each processing blade, then you can use the "Identify Hardware" function.
  • The label and location of each processing blade can be edited using the "Edit Device Info" function.

Adjusting Settings

All of the settings for a processing blade can be viewed and edited from the "Device Details" page in HOME. The settings are stored automatically on the processing blade whenever a change is made.

  1. To access the settings, click on the device label (from the main "Devices" list). The page always opens with the General tab selected.
  2. From here, use the menu tabs to access settings for the Network Ports, Senders, Receivers, etc.
  3. To return to the main "Devices" list, click on the < Devices button (to the left of the device label).

The seven menu tabs provide access to the settings.

General Settings

The General tab includes general information about the processing blade (on the left) and other settings (on the right).

The informational fields (on the left) include the current label and location, Software Version and Serial Number (important for licensing). The Edit button can be used to edit the device label and location. The "Identify Hardware" function can be used to identify the blade by flashing its Call HOME LED on the front panel.

The settings (on the right) show the Application (operating mode) and Device Options (SDI I/O configuration). The Edit buttons can be used to modify the settings (as described in .edge - 25G vs 100G Operation and .edge - SDI Configuration).

Network Ports

The Network Ports tab lists all of the processing blade's active network ports. From here you can check the status of a port or edit its network settings.

Senders and Receivers

The Senders and Receivers tabs list the processing blade's senders and receivers. These are pre-defined according to the SDI I/O configuration and Audio Router option. For example:

  • If the SDI configuration = 24 In:24 Out, then there are 24 SDI senders + 24 SDI receivers, where each one handles multiple flows (that correspond to the SDI input or output): 1x Video, 4x Audio and 1x Meta(data).
  • If the Audio Router option is enabled, then there are an additional 64 AudioTx senders and 128 AudioRx receivers. In this instance, each one handles a single Audio flow.

If you select a sender or receiver, then it is possible to adjust the I/O Routing (for the audio streams), edit the streaming parameters or access the SDP data. In addition, the "Show Sidebar" button (on the right) reveals the available properties for the selected sender or receiver. For example, for an audio sender, you can adjust the delay or turn on the test tone.

I/O Routing

The I/O Routing tab can be used to map the audio channels of IP receivers to the audio channels of the IP senders for the Audio Router.

Please note:

  • If the Audio Router option is not enabled, then there are no signals to configure. 
  • If you wish to shuffle the audio channels of an SDI sender or receiver, then this is done from the Senders or Receivers tab (as described here).

SDI I/O

The SDI I/O tab can be switched between SDI Inputs and SDI Outputs. It provides a quick overview of the connections including signal present (for Video and Audio), and which options are enabled (Frame Sync, Ident, Test Pattern, Gearboxing).

The "Show Sidebar" button (on the right) reveals the available properties for the selected input or output. For example, for an SDI input, you can turn on the ident and test pattern, or adjust the gearboxing and input frame sync (if the relevant licenses are active).

Advanced

The Advanced tab provides access to ALL of the available parameters for a processing blade. It is designed for technical users who need access to more advanced settings and informational fields.

Connecting and Disconnecting Streams

The 'Stream Routing' page is used to manage all of the network's streaming connections. From here you can connect a sender to a receiver, or interrogate the existing connections.

The page lists all available senders (on the left) and receivers (on the right).
  • For each source and destination, there are two parts to the label: <device>/<sender> or <device>/<receiver>. 
  • If a connection is prepared but not made, then a dotted (preview) line appears. This changes to a solid line once the connection is made.
  • The icons in the Essence column describe the type of flow: Video, Audio, Metadata and/or GPIO. 
  • If a source or destination handles more than one flow, then an arrow appears beside its label. Click on the arrow to show (or hide) the individual flows.
  • A useful tooltip is displayed whenever you hover over a label or icon. This can be used, for example, to interrogate a warning icon or view information about an essence.
  • Once a source is connected, a number appears in the "source used" column. This indicates the number of times the source is used. i.e. the number of connections made. You can interrogate the connections from a source using Show Destinations. An example is included here.
  • Once a destination is connected, the "Connected Source" field shows the label of the connected stream.

To make a connection, select a source (on the left) and a destination (on the right); then click on Connect. 

It is possible to connect multiple senders to multiple receivers using either the Multi Select button or a keyboard shortcut. Some examples are included here.

If a source or destination handles multiple flows, then these can be connected independently once the group is revealed. 

In the example below, the audio stream connected to Multiviewer 1 / RX2 has been replaced.

When preparing a connection, it is important to select either groups or essences, otherwise the connection(s) cannot be made. If the selections are not valid, then a message appears at the bottom of the screen.

From here, you can click on Learn More to view the 'Stream Connection Rules'.

The quickest way to clear the current selections is to use the Item Selected buttons at the bottom of the screen.

Why is my device or app missing?

If your device or app is missing from the source and destination lists, check the following points:

  • Are any Filters applied (to restrict the view)?
  • Is the device online? Go back to the 'Devices' list and check the Status.
  • For HOME Apps, is the app running and healthy? Open the 'Device → General' tab and check the Lifecycle information.
  • Are the senders and receivers configured? Open the 'Device → Senders/Receivers' tabs to check the available flows.

What do the dotted (preview) lines mean?

A dotted (preview) line appears when a connection is prepared but not made. The line can be either blue or orange. The color has the following meanings:

  • Blue = all of the source flows can be connected. 
  • Orange = only a partial connection is possible. i.e. not all of the source flows can be connected.

The orange dotted line can occur if there is a mismatch between the sender and receiver. For example, if the source contains Video, Audio and Metadata but the destination has Video only. In this instance, the connection can still be made but only for the matching flow(s).

If the individual flows are hidden, click on the source and destination reveal arrows to see all possible connections (in orange).

What do the icons in the "Connected Source" field mean?

If there is an issue with the contents of the source stream, then an icon appears in the "Connected Source" field. In each case, you can hover over the icon to reveal a tooltip with more information.

There are three possible icons and all three icons may be present. 

  • 'Warning' (triangle icon) = Source cannot be received.
    This icon appears if the connected stream cannot be received. For example, if the video bitrates do not match or the receiver is configured for a different stream transport protocol.
    A 'Warning' icon requires some action to be taken if the stream is to be successfully received.
  • 'Info' (circle icon) = Not all channels will be received.
    This icons appears if the number of channels carried by the sender exceed those of the receiver. For example, if you connect a 64-channel audio sender to an 8-channel audio receiver.
    An 'Info' icon is for information only and can be ignored if, for example, the missing audio channels are not required.
  • 'Stream Disabled' (no entry icon) = Source disabled.
    This icon appears if the sending stream has been disabled using the Disable function (described here).
    It serves as a reminder that the sender must be enabled if the stream is to be successfully received.

In each case, the streaming connection is permitted as the issue(s) can be corrected by modifying the configuration of the sender or receiver.

Where are the connections saved?

The stream routing (for all devices on the HOME network) is stored automatically whenever a change is made. This data is stored on the HOME server.

  • If the server restarts, then the configuration is re-instated at the end of the reboot.
  • If a networked device restarts, or is disconnected, then any streaming connections to and from the device are lost. However, the connections are still prepared. This means that as soon as the device comes back online, its streaming connections are re-established.

If you wish to make a backup of a particular point in the setup, then you can save the complete configuration in a snapshot. For more information on how to do this, please see HOME - Snapshots (in the "HOME - User Manual").