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Main and Backup Producers

Backups

Onlyview can run a full duplicate of your show on duplicate hardware, and keep both copies in sync. The "normal" Producer is called the "Main Producer", and it sents all user actions on the "Backup Producer", which executes them and forwards them to the "Backup mediaservers".

Both system thus play the same show, in sync.

If the main system fails, for instance due to a power supply failure, the video inputs of the projectors or LEDs can be switched instantly.

Info

This is not the same thing as Multi-Producer, even though both connect two Producers together. Multi-Producer means "several operators sharing one system": the extra Producers drive the same Media Servers. Main/Backup means "two independent systems", each with its own Media Servers, kept in step with each other.

Network architecture

Apart from the projectors/LEDs, all the hardware needs to be doubled.

Each display device receives two inputs, one for the Main, one for the Backup, but onlys shows the Main feed.

Main and Backup run on separate networks, with different IPs. For instance, the Main system can run on 100.200.0.x, and the backup on 100.200.1.x.

A separate network, on a dedicated network interface, connects the two systems together, and allows the Main producer to sync the Backup producer.

   Main Producer  ------------------->  Backup Producer
        |             (show commands)         |
   +----+----+                           +----+----+
   |         |                           |         |
Server 1  Server 2                    Server 1  Server 2
   |         |                           |         |
   +----+----+                           +----+----+
        |                                     |
        +------------> Projectors <-----------+
                    (two inputs, or a matrix)

Info

In order to run the backup Media Servers, you need twice as many Onlyview licences.

Setup

On the main Producer

Open File → Producer Options, check Master Mode, and enter the backup Producer's IP address in Slave Producer IP.

The setting is stored on the machine, not in the show, so it stays on when you open another show.

On the backup Producer

Open File → Producer Options and tick Accept remote commands.

Copying the show onto the backup

The main Producer does not automatically upload the show or the media to the backup, it only sends commands. The backup gets its own copy, once, directly from the main Producer:

  1. In the backup Producer's startup dialog, choose Get Local Copy. enter the main Producer's IP address, and start. The show and all of its media are downloaded, reproducing the same folder layout as on the main machine (so both machines need the same drive letters and the same paths).
  2. The show you just downloaded still points at the main system's Media Servers. Choose Server → Import server IPs... and select a .olv file containing the backup network's addresses. Only the IP addresses are replaced, matched Media Server by Media Server through their IDs; everything else in the show is untouched. This is what makes the backup Producer drive its own servers.
  3. Press Ctrl-O on the backup Producer to put its own Media Servers online and upload the media to them.

The most practical way to produce the file used in step 2 is to keep a small .olv next to the show, built once during installation, holding nothing but the backup network's Media Servers and their IPs.

Connection

The backup Producer does not appear in the Media Servers list — it is not a Media Server. Its status is shown by the M button at the bottom of the MEDIA SERVERS tab: green when the backup Producer is connected, red when it is not.

[SCREENSHOT] The bottom of the MEDIA SERVERS tab, with the M button green.

Right-clicking that button offers Online and Offline, to reconnect to the backup Producer or drop the link — for instance after restarting the backup machine.

To check that it the backup works, you can for instance select a test pattern on the main producer; it should be drawn on all the outputs, main and backup.

Video switch

To switch from the Main to the Backup system, you need to be able to switch all the video inputs of all the displays from source 1 to source 2. This can be achieved by various means depending on your requirements: - From the Main Producer, for instance using a QuickKey to send PJLink commands - From a separate Producer, for instance running on a laptop on the displays network, also sending PJLink commands or similar - Using the control software of the manufacturer : either connecting to the projectors/controllers themselves, or to an intermediate grid.

Remarks

  • The synchronisation only goes one way. The main Producer sends commands, and the backup Producer receives them. Avoid moving a cue, changing a deformation, etc, unless you absolutely need to : these actions will be lost at the next Get Local Copy

  • New media are not sent to the backup. If you add media to the show after the initial copy, you will need to do a new GetLocalCopy..., then Import server IPs..., then Ctrl-O.