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Caching on DMPs

My customer has DMS 5.0 deployed and has several DMP's deployed across their WAN infrastructure.

What they are seeing is that it seems to be constantly sending the content out to the DMP's instead of the DMP's caching the content.

Is there something in the configuration that we have messing to tell the DMP to cache the content instead of constantly re-requesting it?

The the Non-video play lists have 7-10 JPeg files that it displays for 10-15 seconds before going to the next one.

They are not using the schedule function. Should they?

7 Replies 7

hadbou
Level 5
Level 5

Digital Media Player Device Manager (DMPDM) is a web-based graphical user interface to configure one DMP during its initial setup, to manage one DMP in isolation, and to deliver your media to one DMP display. DMPDM is served from the DMP that it manages. Caching is possible only when you have selected the Read and Write option from the Internal Storage Access Mode list on the Internal Storage page.

Well, the DMP is being controlled by the DMSDM server. The DMP does have the Read-Write option set to Enable on the DMP itself.

Those are the obvious things that are in the documentation.

Why is the traffic still streaming to the DMP instead of being Cached on the DMP?

Charles Little
Level 1
Level 1

You should not be storing any content on your DMM. Nor do you need to be sending applications to the DMPs via the DMM/DMD, even though the system will allow you to do all of this. All content should be positioned on Apache or Video servers or the DMPs themselves. Playing the content or videos from the DMP itself is not hard to do. Here is what you do.

The internal memory capacity is 2 GB for the DMP 4305G and 4 GB for the DMP 4400G, and can be used to store videos, or other content such as the JPEGs you mentioned

To do this, you should:

Activate the FTP server on the DMP

Have read and write permission on the DMP

Upload the content to the DMP's internal memory, which is referred to as usb_1, using a regular FTP client

(Optional) Connect a USB drive or other drive to the USB port on the back of the DMP and upload the content to the usb_2 folder using a regular FTP client

Finally, any uploaded data will create a URL formatted for use on the Cisco Digital Media Designer that can refer to recently uploaded information. This URL will be in the form of:

File://tmp/ftproot/usb_x/SUB_FOLDER_STRUCTURE/MEDIA

Create new templates or applications by adding this URL information into the URL media field of the Digital Media Designer which, when deployed, will point to the internal memory and will be streamed locally from the DMP itself.

The administrator can immediately deploy the new design or schedule a future deployment. Each DMP of the group will point to the same address, and this address represents the internal memory of each one of the DMPs.

The work flow is this:

Load all your videos or other content via FTP client to your DMP San Disc Memory

DMM publishes the URL of a Digital Media Designer Presentation, with the video configured, either as full screen or in a zone

DMP requests the HTML page from the DMM or internal web server used for DMD presentations

DMM web server serves the HTML page to the DMP

DMP streams video from the internal memory or the attached USB drive

DMP displays video within a zone or in full screen on the display

Using this methodology your client will easily be able to use the schedule function.

I hope this helps.

Cheers

Well, this is just fine if anywhere in the documentation or training materials said not to put media files on the server.

But now that the media is on the server, we have the delema of not being able to move it gracefully from the server to the individual DMP's.

Let me state the case where there needs to be a simple way to move the design and its media files, once tested, from the server to the DMP(s) Using the scheduler. This should be an interigal part of the management platform, whether Cisco would have us store the media on an apache server or on the DMM, should not matter. Once designed and tweeaked, there must be a simple push of the information to the DMP group, with a test to be sure that there are sufficient storage available on the DMP to store the information. This information is there but is hidden and not easily seen. It should be part of the DMD information.

So my question would now be how to move the information from the DMM server where it is today, down to the DMP via ftp, when you can not get access to the files on the DMM via ftp.

I'm sorry if the info I am giving you is not what you wish to hear. I'm not with Cisco so you will have to take all that, and the lack of documentation and training up with them. If you call the TAC they will tell you the same thing I am telling you.

There is a FTP program inside the DMM under applications that allows you to push complete apps to each of the DMPs or external servers. Its not a very good design though. Unfortunately the DMM uses these apps as failover and not for primary use. When you push the App to the DMP the FTP program locks down the DMP. In use it still looks back to the DMM for all the content unless there is a failure in the network. I've tried using it and creating a "GotoURL" to look at the app on the DMP, but its just painful and I gave up trying to make it work in a real world scenario.

It is easy to delete content from the DMM server and load it in the right configuration. Just takes a little time.

My recommendation is that you start over and do it right the first time, or your client will continue to have problems now and into the future and you will never get complete customer satisfaction. I know that the methods I have given you are rock solid and work easily.

We provide a DMS/Digital Signage Jumpstart service for other Cisco partners who have no experience working with DMS/Digital Signage or creative content and don't understand best practices for this type of application. If you would like to engage with us to help get your client up and running and operating with best practices you can contact me at colittle@gs-comm.com.

Sorry, for getting upset with the answers.

What I would not have given for a best practices guide from the start.

Looks like I have some work to do, and need to talk to Cisco DE for the next release to make it a little better.

Thanks.

No worries. I understand. Shoot me an email off line. colittle@gs-comm.com I can give you access to some docs and samples I have that will be of tremendous help. I've seen your messages up here to many times. I understand your frustration and pain. I can point you in the right direction at least.

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