Configuration of the Video System

During the configuration of the video system it is important to keep in mind the following steps to ensure the correct functioning of Video OA:

  • Unlocking the used TCP ports in firewalls: Ensure that the TCP ports used by Video OA are unlocked in the firewalls. This enables the communication between the different video components.
  • Name resolution to IPV4 addresses: Ensure that the name resolution to IPV4 addresses via DNS, NETBIOS or host files is set up correctly. This enables the video components to correctly resolve the host IP addresses and makes smooth communication possible.

Heeding these configuration steps and implementing them accordingly ensures correct functioning of the video system.

Configuration of the Video Server

After a successful installation of the video server components further configuration is necessary for the video server . In the following sections the configuration of a single server and a redundant server is shown:

Configuration of a simple Server

  1. Specify the TCP port which shall be used for the video server with the entry Port in the section [ConfigClient] of "AccVimaccConfig.conf" (in C:\vimacc\config):

    [ConfigServer]
Port=9370

  2. Specify the host name and the port for the entry Server1 in the section [ConfigClient]. The clients use the host name and the port to connect to the server.

    [ConfigClient]
Server1=WCCOA-SRV01 9370

Configuration of a redundant Server

  1. Specify the TCP port for the use of the video server with the entry Port in the section [ConfigClient] in the config file . 
    [ConfigServer]
Port=9370
  2. Specify the host names and the ports of both servers on which the video server is available for clients in the [ConfigClient] section by using the entries Server1 and Server2. The order of the Server entries defines which server shall be contacted first by the respective client. 
    [ConfigClient] 
Server1=<DNS name of server1> 9370 
Server2=<DNS name of server2> 9370

    Use the entry ServerPort in the section [Bridge] to specify the port used by both video servers for the synchronization. Enter the peer host name by using the entry ServerHost. Define the master server by using the config entry IAmServer.

    Server 1:

    [Bridge]
ServerPort=7001 
ServerHost=<DNS name of server2>
IAmServer=true
    Server 2:
    [Bridge]
ServerPort=7001 
ServerHost=<DNS name of server1>
IAmServer=false
Note: After adjusting the configuration file accordingly, restart all vimacc services to activate the changes. You can run the scripts "Vimacc StopServices" and "Vimacc StartServices" from the group "video management system" as administrator to do so.
Note: The restart of all vimacc services is necessary to ensure configuration changes become active!

Video-Client Configuration

To configure the video client on a computer, the file "AccVimaccConfig.conf" (in C:\vimacc\config) must be adjusted. Below the relevant steps are shown:

  1. Open the config "AccVimaccConfig.conf" from C:\vimacc\config on the computer.
  2. In the section [ConfigClient], add the hostname and port under which the video server is reachable for clients under the entry "Server1". Example: Server1=WCCOA-SRV01 9370.
  3. For redundant systems add the entry "Server 2" with the same information for how the second server is reachable for clients. Example: Server2=WCCOA-SRV02 9370.

After adjusting the configuration file accordingly, restart all vimacc services to activate the changes. You can run the scripts "Vimacc StopServices" and "Vimacc StartServices" from the group "video management system" as administrator to do so.

The restart of all vimacc services is necessary to ensure configuration changes become active!

Video Display Configuration

After successful installation of the display server you can now use it to show videos on monitors. The following steps are needed for configuration:

Configuration of a Display Server with single Video Server:

  1. Open the configuration file "AccVimaccConfig.conf" in C:/vimacc/config.
  2. In the section [ConfigClient] for "Server1" Enter the host name and port under which the first server is reachable. Example: Server1=WCCOA-SRV01 9370.

Configuration of a Display Server with redundant Video Server:

  1. Open the configuration file "AccVimaccConfig.conf" in C:/vimacc/config.
  2. In the section [ConfigClient] for "Server1" and "Server 2", enter the host name and port under which both servers are reachable. Example: Server1=WCCOA-SRV01 9370, Server2=WCCOA-SRV02 9370.

Configuration of Display Monitors:

  1. For each monitor you wish to connect to the display server, open the corresponding config file "AccVimaccDisplay<id>.conf" (e.g. AccVimaccDisplay1.conf).
  2. In the section [DeviceManager] add the name of the display monitor under "MyControllerName" as a combination of hostnamen and display name. Example: MyControllerName=WCCOA-WS01_DISPLAY01.
  3. Open the start script "vimaccStartDisplays.bat" in the folder C:/vimacc/bin and add as many start lines as the monitors you wish to use. Already present lines can be commented out with the keyword "rem".
  4. Start the script. For each monitor a corresponding window is shown.
  5. Right click into the window and select the option "Fullscreen on/off".
  6. You can now adjust the window size and place it on one of your physical monitors.
  7. When you are finished use the function "Fullscreen on/off" again and then "save window settings" to save the size and position of the window.
  8. Optionally, you can add a link to the start script "vimaccStartDisplays.bat" in the windows auto start group, to start the display monitors automatically with each windows start.

After adjusting the configuration file accordingly, restart all vimacc services to activate the changes. You can run the scripts "Vimacc StopServices" and "Vimacc StartServices" from the group "video management system" as administrator to do so.

Graphic Adjustment of vimacc Dialogues

Adjusting the Config file:

  1. Open the configuration file "AccVimaccDisplay<id>.conf" for the relevant display monitor.
  2. In the section [VideoPanelOptions] you can use different Entries to adjust the dialogue appearance. Here are a few examples:
    1. dialogBackgroundColor: Sets the background color of al dialogues.
    2. dialogSelectedBackgroundColor: Sets the background color for the chosen dialogue.
    3. dialogFrameColor: Sets the frame color of all dialogues.
    4. dialogSelectedFrameColor: Sets the frame color of the selected dialogue.
    5. dialogBackgroundImage: Defines a background image for all dialogues.

Example:

[VideoPanelOptions] 
                dialogBackgroundColor=#63B8FF 
                dialogSelectedBackgroundColor=#DC143C 
                dialogFrameColor=#FFFF00 
                dialogSelectedFrameColor=#00FF00 
                dialogBackgroundImage="D:/pictures/background.png"

Adjust the values as you see fit.

Adjusting the Stylesheet:

Open the file "stylesheet.qss" in the folder <vimacc_installationpath>/data/Workstation.

Add the following entries to the bottom of the file to adjust the font size in the video dialogue title bars:

QLabel#videoPlayerLabel 
                { 
                font-size: 12px; 
                }
                
                QLineEdit#videoPlayerName, QLineEdit#videoPlayerPosition 
                { 
                font-size: 12px; height: 17px; 
                }

Adjust the value for "font-size" to get the desired size. Keep in mind that the value for "height" must always be 5px higher than the font size.

Save the file after the adjustments.

Keep in mind that after graphical changes, a restart of the vimacc services may be needed to apply the changes. You can run the scripts "Vimacc StopServices" and "Vimacc StartServices" from the group "video management system" as administrator to do so.

Alternative Network Configuration

In the hosts file, an IP address is assigned to a hostname. The host name is defined both in the file AccVimccConfig.conf as well as in WinCC OA (in the video server configuration). The Vimacc Control Interface however, uses the IP address of a different network connection or network card. The following shows how to correctly deal with this network configuration:

  1. Use alternate host names for the vimacc config server and enter this in the hosts file.
  2. Ensure that the entries "DeviceManager/MyHostName" and "DeviceManager/MyHostAddress" are correctly set in the file AccVimaccConfig.conf. Add the IP address of the corresponding network card.

Example

[DeviceManager] 
                MyHostName=alb-lrs01-video 
                MyHostAddress=192.168.1.17
  • Enter the actual host names and the virtual host names as "AllowedFeatureProviders" in the section [ConfigServer] of AccVimaccConfig.conf. Ensure that the parameters match the corresponding names and IP addresses.

Example (on both redundant servers)

[ConfigServer] 
                AllowedFeatureProviders="alb-lrs01,alb-lrs01-video,alb-lrs02,alb-lrs02-video"

Edit the file AccVimaccInterface.conf and make sure that the IP addresses of the network adapters are configured correctly in the corresponding sections [DeviceManager] .

Example

[DeviceManager] 
                IpInterfaceNet=<IP-Adresse> 
                IpInterfaceOperatorNet=<IP-Adresse> 
                IpInterfaceDeviceNet=<IP-Adresse>

Keep in mind, that in most cases the parameters IpInterfaceNet and IpInterfaceOperatorNet are identical. IpInterfaceDeviceNet defines the network adapter, over which the AccVimaccInterface connects to devices (like cameras).

Through the combination of these settings and the possibility to have multiple instances of the AccVimaccInterface on one computer, even complicated network architecture with multiple VLANs can be implemented.

Keep in mind that after changes to the configuration, a restart of the vimacc services may be needed to apply the changes. You can run the scripts "Vimacc StopServices" and "Vimacc StartServices" from the group "video management system" as administrator to do so.