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This topic comprises 3 pages: 1 2 3
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Author
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Topic: current preferred server (6/2015)
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Marcel Birgelen
Film God
Posts: 3357
From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands
Registered: Feb 2012
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posted 06-14-2015 05:23 PM
quote: Steve Guttag
True that on the lack of DNS (also means thinks like the NTP pool are not very viable). BUT it isn't too hard to get the IP of something "out there" on the web. Just ping to the web address and the ping will return its IP so it isn't the end of the world for just setting up a site for FTP like it would for how the NTP Pool works. That said, Dolby is so strict on the NTP thing and how many hops it takes to get to NTP, I use our Cardinal Care computers as the NTP source so NTP is just one hop away. NTP reliability has skyrocketed since. Our NOC systems where the NOC is a VPN tunnel also are quite reliable since the number of hops is minimal.
The problem with the "something out there" concept is that often, stuff just gets renumbered. The IPs in an NTP pool are not constants, that's the whole idea of those DNS names anyway.
Keeping your clock aligned isn't obviously just important to start your shows on time, your whole KDM validity and keeping your media block clock in line with UTC is equally important. But it doesn't really matter if the clock is off by a few seconds, so it's a bit counter-intuitive Dolby's NTP implementation is so nit-picky.
I'm not sure if Dolby is really counting TTLs, but many NTP clients are configured to be quite picky when it comes to stratum level and jitter.
The best solution is indeed to use a local NTP source (and let this connect to one or more of those NTP pools), like a router, firewall or other server. Something that's not due to change the IP address without some consideration.
Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for what I would consider the ultimate IMB:
- Cross-platform availability, so no vendor-supplied solution like Solaria or Alchemy.
- Intuitive and well designed GUI, comparable to Dolby's implementation.
- All advertised features and on-board ports (like HDMI) actually do work.
- HDMI that works and actually supports 4K.
- No local content storage, but a rock solid networking and NFS implementation, so you can roll your own storage, using reliable standard solutions.
- Redundant flash for local settings, databases and OS.
- Good hard- and software support that keeps track of recent developments and actually tests their patches before they ship them.
At this moment, it looks like we're further away from any of this than ever.
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Steve Guttag
We forgot the crackers Gromit!!!
Posts: 12814
From: Annapolis, MD
Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 06-14-2015 05:35 PM
Oh Marco...why do you not see the error of your ways? In a "proper" Dolby system, you ALWAYS have a DSL!!! Hence, no problem (and hence why it is considered not a problem in the world of Dolby where you always buy the house brand of everything). Your example of being a mini-plex using server 1 as the TMS...we'll that was just an econo thing "we" put out there...we can't put all of the "goodies" in such a thing or why pay for our DSL? (Pssst....you do realize I'm playing a bit here, right? But in seriousness, that is how Dolby as traditionally designed things...for a pure Dolby world and everyone else should bend to their design. And in the analog sound processor days, the world essentially did. Dolby had the patents on the technology used by the industry. It didn't work out that way for them in the DCinema server world, did it?).
BTW...with a DSL, you DO have the option of backing up the Database to a USB stick and loading a saved database back onto the DSL. Furthermore, the DSL does make periodic backups (kind of like Windows "System Restore" points). Here is another thing I didn't know until recently (since I don't have many DSLs myself)...if you have a DSL...the DSL must have network access to all of the components that may need to be controlled via Ethernet. That is, if you have a CP750 and you want volume cues and the volume control to show up on the TMS pages, the DSL100/200 has to have a means to "reach" that CP750. That is why each server has its own internal router. The DSL sits on the 192.168.241.x network but connects to each screen server on the "Theatre Network" NIC...via that server, it can "reach" the CP750, or DFC100 or any of the other Dolby peripherals. Force the local server back to "SMS" mode and it will always find them since they are on the same network as the server. I always figured that the individual servers were what talked directly with the local devices and that the DSL merely kept track of the shows and ran the GUI. That overhead is already at each server but no they decided that if you have a DSL, then IT is what will talk with the accessories. If you set up a routing table for each theatre in your router, you can connect up to just connect your laptop up to the 192.168.241.x. network and "reach" everything. As such, with a "proper" Dolby network, you need only run a single Ethernet line around the complex for both Media and Management rather than maintaining two separate networks like most everyone else does. A beauty in their system is it leaves you with a LOT of IPs available for doing more complex systems since you have 128 IPs PER SCREEN to work with.
As for DNS...yeah, things like NTP POOL is out since its IP changes but there are plenty of "fixed" NTP places to poll from and really you just need one thing to reach there...like the DSL since each server can also be an NTP reference for everything else on the network(s).
If you worked with a DSL system...you'd see that it is pretty bullet proof in terms of databases and getting back on line...I mean it is just about plug and play. Really. However, as TMSes go, the Dolby one isn't what one would call "feature laden." They also haven't updated it in probably a decade. So the only show schedule import it knows is its own and anyone sending a schedule to it MUST conform to their format. (see above post(s) regarding Dolby mindset on other products interacting with theirs).
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