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Tektronix Sentry User Manual

Sentry series video quality monitor
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Video Quality Monitors
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User Manual
*P077320202*
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Summary of Contents for Tektronix Sentry

  • Page 1 Sentry Series Video Quality Monitors User Manual *P077320202* 077-3202-02...
  • Page 3 Sentry Series Video Quality Monitor User Manual Supports software version 10.0...
  • Page 4 Sentry User Manual Sentry User Manual March 2017...
  • Page 5 Furthermore, Tektronix reserves the right to revise this publication and to make changes from time to time in the contents hereof without obligation of Tektronix to notify any person of such revisions or changes.

  • Page 6: About This Document

    P.O. Box 500 Beaverton, OR 97077 For technical support: Sentry Technical support is available on Business Days from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM Pacific Time and 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Indian Standard Time on the following numbers: US/Canada toll-free...

  • Page 7: Table Of Contents

    How to Get Help ................................13 Introduction ..................................15 What is Tektronix Sentry? ..............................15 The Engine ..................................15 Internal database ................................. 15 What does Tektronix Sentry do? ............................17 Monitoring ..................................17 Reporting ..................................17 Alerting ..................................18 Getting Started ................................... 19 Front Panel Functions (2016 to present models only) ......................
  • Page 8 Sentry User Manual ASI Models ................................. 37 Program Search and display ............................38 Column Sort By arrows .............................. 39 Bell Icon for Alert creation ............................39 Configure Report History ............................40 Configure Provider Name ............................42 Other Configurable Items ............................43 Program Bandwidth Graph ...............................
  • Page 9 Sentry User Manual Create a Program Statistics Report ..........................81 History tab .................................. 84 Port Statistics ..................................85 Summary tab .................................. 85 Create a Port Statistics Report ............................86 Program Groups ................................88 Using Program Groups ..............................88 Program Groups Bandwidth ............................90 Access Program Groups Bandwidth ...........................
  • Page 10 Create/Edit tab ................................165 History tab ................................168 Configure................................... 170 Configure Alerts ................................171 How Sentry Handles Alerts ............................171 Create an Alert ................................172 Create Alerts Step by Step ............................175 View Created Alerts ..............................179 Delete Alert ................................179 Modify an Alert ................................
  • Page 11 Backup Multicast Settings ............................259 Multicast Stream Collision Errors (Multiple Sources Detected on Input Ports) ............261 Sentry with 2 MPEG Input Option Installed ......................262 Sentry with VLAN Support Enabled ........................... 263 Configure VLAN monitoring option ........................263 Sentry User Manual March 2017...
  • Page 12 Power Off a unit: ................................294 Restart a unit ................................295 Status ....................................297 ASI Status page ................................298 System Status for Sentry with Second MPEG Input Option Installed ................. 298 About ....................................299 Appendix A: Sentry ABR ............................... 301 Configure: Alerts Summary ............................301 Manifest Alerts ................................
  • Page 13 Fragment Load Latency ............................323 Fragment Load Bitrate .............................. 324 Fragment Size ................................324 System Status ................................... 325 Appendix B: Sentry Edge, Edge II, Edge III-S, and Edge III-T ................. 327 Preface .................................... 327 Getting started ................................328 Product description ..............................328 Sentry Edge RF Monitoring Products ........................
  • Page 14 Sentry User Manual Change the schedule ..............................342 Configure port names for a channel .......................... 343 Configure schedule summary ............................ 344 Create a new schedule............................... 345 Operating basics ................................347 Reports ..................................347 Current Status report ..............................347 Port / channel numbers ............................. 347 Program Detail report : Tuning information ......................

  • Page 15: Sentry Family Product Matrix

    Sentry User Manual Sentry Family Product Matrix This Sentry product manual contains technical information on the Sentry family of video quality monitors. Information for the Sentry Edge products can be found in Appendix B of this manual. Some of the features and purchasable options described in this manual are not supported on all of the products.
  • Page 16 Sentry User Manual Sentry Sentry Sentry Sentry Edge Service (ASI, GigE, Verify, Sentry ABR Assure (I - III) 10G) Verify 10G Purchasable Software Options  QoE Monitoring Optional Optional Carousel monitoring (tru2way / OCAP / Optional Optional Optional Optional Optional MHP / DSM-CC) ...

  • Page 17: Preface

    If you purchased a Tektronix service program, contact Tektronix technical support: For technical support: Sentry Technical support is available on Business Days from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM Pacific Time and 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Indian Standard Time on the following numbers:...
  • Page 18 Sentry User Manual Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 19: Introduction

    MPEG source streams within the headend or hubs. Sentry digs deep into the complex and private data residing within the stream, allowing video service providers to gain insight and solve problems in their digital networks. Sentry’s extensive feature list includes: •...
  • Page 20 Sentry User Manual Figure 1: Sentry Network Diagram Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 21: What Does Tektronix Sentry Do

    The primary features of Sentry are:  Monitoring  Reporting  Alerting Monitoring Sentry tracks, and fully dissects the content of the digital media stream as it leaves the headend, including:  Application data decode and verification  Closed captioning compliance  Bandwidth utilization ...

  • Page 22: Alerting

    Provides an easy to use graphic analysis to visually represent alerts Alerting Sentry enables real-time alerts to indicate if content within a stream is invalid, a stream goes down, or user thresholds are exceeded. Alerts are visible within the web user interface (Alert History) and can be sent via email and SNMP trap.

  • Page 23: Getting Started

    Amber. If a hardware problem is detected with the server, the LCD backlight turns amber. When the problem is cleared, the backlight returns to green. Under normal operation, the readout will display the IP address of the Management Port in the form “Tektronix Sentry IP: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx.” The factory default IP address is 10.0.10.200.

  • Page 24: Navigation Buttons

    Do not use the navigation buttons. The navigation buttons can be used to access and navigate an internal menu system provided by the manufacturer of the Sentry chassis. CAUTION: To prevent operational problems with the instrument, do not attempt to make any changes to the menu settings.

  • Page 25: Power-Off Procedure

    Power-off procedure The preferred method for rebooting or powering off a Sentry is through the web interface. WARNING: When moving a Sentry, it is very important to properly power off the Sentry via the web interface. Never unplug a Sentry without performing the Power-off procedure. Improper shutdown may cause file corruption and failure of the Sentry.

  • Page 26: Ip Address On The Front Panel

    NOTE: The preferred method for rebooting or powering off a Sentry is through the web interface. Please see the Remote Power Off and Restart Capability section of this manual for more detail. WARNING: When moving a Sentry, it is very important to properly power off the Sentry via the web interface.

  • Page 27: Interface Components

    Login Info This area displays the username of the logged on user and provides a link to log out of Sentry. Click Logout to log out of the system. The date and time of the most recent refresh of the screen is also shown.

  • Page 28: Page Title Bar

    If the number of input ports is greater than one, then default system groups will be automatically created (two groups for a four port Sentry and four groups for Sentrys with more than four ports). Settings that the user has specifically saved are retained as they navigate from page to page.
  • Page 29 Below are groups and ports of a four port ASI Sentry. Figure 6: Groups and Ports of a 4 Port ASI Sentry (0, 1, 2, 3) In the case of ASI models, the port is known from the hardware. For MPEG over IP models, the port is known from the configuration (refer to Configuring MPEG Input Settings.

  • Page 30: Change A Port Assignment

    A Reset button to reinstate the original settings will also be displayed. ASI Port tab A single port ASI Sentry has only one port tab and therefore has no need for a group tab. Figure 9: Port 0 of a Single Port ASI Sentry Sentry User Manual...

  • Page 31: Basic Operations

    NOTE 1: To access the full functionality of the web interface, you must log in as a user with Administrator privileges. NOTE 2: If multiple Sentry administrators apply changes to the same set of parameters concurrently, the latest applied changes take precedence. Up to ten simultaneous browser connections are allowed.

  • Page 32: Bitrate Violation

    Sentry User Manual Bitrate Violation If Sentry exceeds the combined bitrate for which it was licensed, a bitrate violation occurs. A violation warning is displayed on the opened page. Clicking on the More info… link in the violation warning provides more detail about the licensed bitrate and the violation.

  • Page 33: Reports

    Sentry User Manual Reports Reports are configurable to give you a real-time or historical view of transport activity. There are five main categories of reports, and all reports offer the capability to drill down to view additional detail:  Programs •...

  • Page 34: Programs

    Refers to the program provider icon and name, derived according to the Provider Name selection (refer to Configuring the Provider Name). If Sentry cannot determine the provider, a placeholder will be inserted, e.g., Not Available. The user can also manually associate a network name and icon with a...
  • Page 35 If there is no bandwidth information, Current Bitrate shows no bitrate data and the Status is DOWN. NOTE: The only time that Sentry will not receive bandwidth data is when there is a Bandwidth Violation. Figure 13: Status Column in Current Status ...

  • Page 36: To Filter The Ports On The Report

    Sentry User Manual To Filter the Ports on the Report To narrow down the group of ports returned in the non-program group report, click Edit Group. The Edit Group display provides the following options:  Show All Ports Show all port available to system ...

  • Page 37: Filter Sentrys Licensed With Vlan Support

    Sentry User Manual Filter Sentrys licensed with VLAN support To filter on specific VLANs, select Filter on Selected VLANs and check the desired VLANs. Figure 16: Editing a group Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 38: Program Status

    Sentry User Manual Program Status The Program Status report gives a configurable history of all MPEG programs and their PID contents. Trend Details Graph Figure 17: Program Status Report Overview In addition to the same components seen in the Current Status Snapshot report (i.e., Alert, Port#: Name, Pgm, Name, XDS data), the Program Status report has the following additional components: ...
  • Page 39 Shows each PID associated with the program: the PID number, type, data content, PID average bitrate and an indication whether and discontinuities, i.e., breaks in the sequence of MPEG transport packets detected by Sentry’s continuity counter, have occurred.  Discontinuity The presence of discontinuities;...
  • Page 40 Sentry User Manual Figure 18: PID Types with details in bold The PID Type descriptor displays the following:  Video  Video resolution  Refresh rate  Audio  Audio Mode (2.0 = stereo . 1.0= mono, 5.1 = surround sound) ...

  • Page 41: Asi Models

    Sentry User Manual ASI Models The ASI model Sentrys will display PCR arrival interval and minimum, average, and maximum jitter over the time range. Figure 19: Program Status on an ASI Sentry Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 42: Program Search And Display

    Sentry User Manual Program Search and display You may search any Current Status or Program Status page in Sentry using the search box located in the upper right corner of the table. Figure 20: Program Search field. A search with “di” yields Discovery Home The program search will search the current page based on what you enter into the field.

  • Page 43: Column Sort By Arrows

    Sentry User Manual Column Sort By arrows All primary column headers in the Program Status Report data include a Sort by arrow that allows for easy sorting. To activate, click on the desired column header once and the resulting screen will return the same page with the available arrows in the column header.

  • Page 44: Configure Report History

    Sentry User Manual Configure Report History For historical reporting, the user is able to configure the time range of the report, either by choosing a Current View as in the Program Status report or by specifying a range of time as in Program Detail.
  • Page 45 Sentry User Manual Figure 25: Report Clock Option The pages that offer the From:/To: option also offer a drop-down option consisting of Most Recent and Standard selections. 1. Select the (or) radio button and click on the desired setting. For example, if you would like to see all activity for the last hour, you would select this menu item to display 1 Hour.

  • Page 46: Configure Provider Name

    Sentry User Manual Configure Provider Name The Current Status and Program Status reports allow you to select the source of the program provider, using the Provider Name drop-down list. The list contains: Auto, XDS, SDT (if the data exists) and Mapping.

  • Page 47: Other Configurable Items

    Sentry User Manual Other Configurable Items Other configurable items include the ability to sort and to select the number of results displayed per page. 1. Select the sorting options from the Sort by drop-down menu. There are a number of different items to sort from including Video and Audio QoE, PVQ, Bitrate, Availability or Error Seconds.

  • Page 48: Program Bandwidth Graph

    Program Details Screen Access Program Details From the Sentry welcome screen, choose the program you wish to view Program Details for by selecting its logo or program name from the Displaying Programs list. For this example, we selected the logo for Outdoor Life Network.

  • Page 49: Color Key

    Sentry User Manual From the Program Details screen, the user may view many of the details that: a. Assist in assessing the health of the selected program b. Assist in basic troubleshooting The Program Details screen starts with information about the Port and PID at the top and allows for viewing details for Bitrate, Quality of Experience, Audio Volume Level, Discontinuity and Alerts at the bottom of the page.

  • Page 50: Error Seconds

     Audio • Audio Mode (1.0 = mono . 2.0= stereo,, 5.1 = surround sound) • Sample rate • Language descriptor o The Sentry will display the language descriptor exactly as described in the stream. Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 51: Refresh Thumbnail

    The Stream button opens a separate dialog box that allows you to configure where to send the UDP unicast. The network path has to allow UDP unicasts from the Sentry and the receiving computer/device. You may also have to open the specified port in your computer’s firewall.
  • Page 52 Sentry User Manual Configure VLC to receive stream to view content For an additional viewing option Video LAN Client (VLC) is a free player for files and streaming protocols. Installing VLC on a computer allows you to receive the Stream to View. This is an optional viewing utility.
  • Page 53 Sentry User Manual Figure 37: Stream to View parameters 9. Click Start 10. You should now see the stream appear in VLC. Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 54: Detailed Graph View

    Sentry User Manual Detailed Graph View To see more detail on the graph, click on the graph itself and draw a box around the area you wish to view. The graph will then reload and display a more detailed view of selected time frame. In the example below, we selected a Time Range between 10:07 AM and 10:17 AM and the resulting graph went from a span of activity covering a 15 minute span to a graph showing activity for every 10 seconds.

  • Page 55: Other Program Information

    Sentry User Manual Figure 39: Reset the graph to its original view Other Program information Program Availability Program Availability is the number of non error seconds over total number of seconds for a specified time period. It is expressed as a percentage.

  • Page 56: Quality Of Experience Details

    Figure 41: Examples of Major tiling/long duration . . . and Minor Tiling/short duration Access the QoE Details 1. Select the logo/name of the desired program from any Sentry page. 2. This will take you directly to the Program Details screen.

  • Page 57: Average Video Qoe From The Program Status Page

    Sentry User Manual The graph is shown in real-time, though it does not represent regular intervals. NOTE: Colors that appear at the beginning of a graph will remain that particular color throughout. For example a video PID that has a blue label on detail section will also appear as blue in the subsequent detailed graphs.

  • Page 58: Scoring Qoe

    Figure 46: Lingering confidence drops, not necessarily a continuing issue In addition to displaying the QOE scores, Sentry also reports the reason(s) why the QOE scores went down. The QoE reason codes are shown directly below the QoE graph and correspond to the beginning of the QoE drop.
  • Page 59 Sentry User Manual QoE drop Reason Codes QoE drop Reason Codes Figure 47: QoE drops with codes Reason codes are also added to the SNMP QOE alert notifications. Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 60: Reason Codes Definitions

    Sentry User Manual Reason Codes Definitions Reason Code Definition Audio Buffer Buffer timing violation causing buffer overrun and is greater than or Overrun equal to 100ms. Buffer timing violation causing buffer underrun is equal to 0 seconds, Audio Buffer Underrun meaning that the buffer is empty.

  • Page 61: Perceptual Video Quality (Emos)

    Sentry User Manual Perceptual Video Quality (eMOS) Sentry offers PVQ (or effective eMOS) and Video QoE as two separate alerting and reporting systems. This gives you the ability to evaluate compression artifacts separately from video errors. In this case, independent to the configuration to include or to exclude eMOS contribution in video QoE, the user can always evaluate eMOS as a distinct metric and as one of the key performance and quality indicators.

  • Page 62: Over-Compression Artifacts

    Sentry can accurately detect these non-error-related video artifacts and score them as PVQ (or eMOS), which ranks video quality in a similar way as a Mean Opinion Score (MOS). eMOS can be used (in the case when there are no technical errors in the transport stream) to measure perceptual video quality in the compressed stream.

  • Page 63: Group Of Pictures (Gop) Length Reporting (Group Of Pictures)

    Sentry User Manual Group of Pictures (GOP) Length Reporting (Group of Pictures) The GOP (Group of Pictures) Size table displays the Average, Maximum, and Minimum GOP size for the specified time period. Figure 51: GOP display Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 64: Audio Volume Level Details

    This function differs from Sentry’s Audio Quality of Experience in that each one measures different qualities. Functionality Sentry decodes and analyzes the audio stream in order to determine the true energy level so it can detect issues such as low perceived level. Sentry also reads the Dialnorm that has been encoded in the metadata. The resulting graph is a good representation of how the human ear will perceive the audio with respect to where the Dialnorm is set to.

  • Page 65: Graphing

    Sentry User Manual Graphing A graph of the primary PID will be generated by default, although either PID can be selected for graphing. Dynamic Range Primary PID Dialnorm Zoom Scale Figure 53: Audio Levels  Dashed line Represents the Dialnorm level that is specified in this audio stream.

  • Page 66: Thumbnail Timeline

    Sentry User Manual Thumbnail Timeline Thumbnail Timeline captures thumbnail images to help visually confirm the relative location of audio issues (i.e., during programming or commercials). This function supports both MPEG-2 and H.264 thumbnails. Figure 555: Thumbnail Timeline Sentry User Manual...

  • Page 67: Discontinuity Details

    Sentry User Manual Discontinuity Details Discontinuity is defined by a missing or out of sequence MPEG packet. Discontinuities can result in various levels of audio and video problems depending on the number and frequency of occurrence. The Discontinuity Detail graph allows you to view the number of discontinuities over time. You can use this information to troubleshoot or look for large patterns or spikes of discontinuities.

  • Page 68: Alert Details

    Sentry User Manual Alert Details Alert Details has two different views that the user may select from the drop-down menu: open alerts and all alerts triggered in a time frame. Open alerts shows the user the current active alerts for this program.

  • Page 69: Pcr Details

    Sentry User Manual PCR Details To access detailed information about a program’s PCR PID, click on the PCR link on the program detail report. Figure 59: Program Detail report The PCR Details page will show summary values and detailed graph for the following PCR statistics: ...
  • Page 70 Sentry User Manual Other helpful operations: • Click the Zoom In link to look at a shorter time window. • Click the Reset View link to return to the report’s original timeframe. • Click the Link link to modify the report URL to show the current timeframe that you are viewing.

  • Page 71: Data Detect

    Sentry User Manual Data Detect The Data Detect report is a detailed report on specific content within the MPEG transport stream. Figure 61: Data Detect Report Types Report Types Copy Generation Management System (CGMS) Check one or more of the boxes to see if CGMS embedded data is or is not present in the video PID. As defined in EIA/CEA-608-B, CGMS provides a mechanism for content creators to inform a consumer electronic device, such as a personal video recorder (PVR), advanced set top receiver, etc., as to whether the content may...

  • Page 72: Closed Caption Data

    Sentry User Manual Closed Caption Data From this report, you can select CEA-608, CEA-708, and SCTE-20 Closed Captioning reporting, in addition to the existing Closed Captioning options. You can also configure new Program Alerts to monitor and report occupancy and error rates for these standards.

  • Page 73: Other Data

    Sentry User Manual Other Data  Scrambled Indicates the presence of scrambled (i.e., encrypted) MPEG transport packets as described in ISO/IEC 13818-1. There are multiple indicators within a transport stream that instruct down-stream equipment to scramble the stream; however, this indicator reflects whether the transport packets actually are scrambled or not.

  • Page 74: Generate A Report

    Sentry User Manual Generate a Report The Data Detect report displays a status key to display the detection of Closed Captioning errors, in addition to the current tiles indicating the detection of Closed Caption data. It also supports reporting the percentage of invalid and partially invalid Closed Captioning data.
  • Page 75 Sentry User Manual Figure 65: Program Detail from the Data Detect Report 4. A Data Detect Report can also be generated for one program only from the Program Status page or the Program Detail page by clicking on a link that represents one of the Data Detect report types, i.e., CC, CGMS, and Discontinuity.

  • Page 76: Ad Cue Info (Digital Ad Insertion)

    Ad insertion systems separate splicing commands from the input transport stream, switch between the network feed and the local ad server, and provide signaling and coordination. Using the SCTE 35 splice format identifier values, Sentry is able to monitor the commands that are being sent to the ad insertion device. These values include: ...
  • Page 77 Sentry User Manual Figure 67: Ad Cue Info Welcome 3. Select the Program Group and Sort By options as needed 4. Select Refresh to see the Ad Cue Info results. NOTE: The Ad Cue Info report allows a time range up to two weeks in the future. This is the only...

  • Page 78: Reading The Ad Cue Info Report

    If Sentry reporting shows that the video and audio in the transport had no problems at the time of the ad, then it is likely that the ad ran.
  • Page 79 Sentry User Manual Click on a program link in the Pgm column to view the details for the ads of the selected programs. Figure 69: Ad Cue Info Detail Report Type The radio buttons directly above Type allow you to choose whether you want to see all command types, Splice Insert Only, or Non-Splice Insert Only.
  • Page 80 Sentry User Manual Direction Indicates if the splice message is running In or Out. Event Type Ads are either component (PID Event) or composite (Program Event).  A composite ad interrupts the program’s audio and video (Event Type = Program Event).

  • Page 81: Ad Splice Command Types

    Sentry User Manual Ad Splice Command Types The Ad Splice Command Types graph displays all of the command types that were sent. Each command may also contain descriptor information. To view the descriptor information for a command type, hover over the appropriate bar on the graph.

  • Page 82: Drill Down/Zoom In

    Sentry User Manual Drill down/Zoom In To drill down on the graph, select the desired portion of the graph with your mouse by right clicking and dragging left to right. This will enable you to see the Descriptor information for any command.

  • Page 83: Repeated Commands

    Figure 73: Asterisk showing there are multiple occurrences of the same command Hover over the vertical bar to review the descriptor information for that command. You will see the count of commands that Sentry is grouping into that single bar. Figure 74: Descriptor information showing 12 occurrences of a command.

  • Page 84: Program Statistics (Report And Export)

    Sentry User Manual Program Statistics (Report and Export) The Program Statistics report gives you non-alert based statistical data from your programs. You can use this information to observe trends over time for such items as audio volume levels, bit-rates, QoE scores, etc.

  • Page 85: Create A Program Statistics Report

    Sentry User Manual Create/Edit tab Allows you to generate the following data when creating or editing a report:  Maximum and minimum and averages of video QOE, audio QOE and volume levels  Totals for bitrate and discontinuities  Maximum and minimum and averages of GOP length ...
  • Page 86 Sentry User Manual 5. Select Generate Report. 6. The Displaying Program box appears. 7. Review all data. a. Select column header to sort data. Figure 80: Exporting as CSV 8. Selecting the Export as CSV button allows user to export visible data as a CSV (Comma Separated Value) file that you can put into a spreadsheet application for further analysis.
  • Page 87 Sentry User Manual c. Choose Private use only or Share with others. d. Select Save. 10. Once you have saved the report, you can schedule it to run and automatically email you the results. a. Select Schedule Report and follow steps as per Scheduling Email portions of this manual.

  • Page 88: History Tab

    Sentry User Manual 11. For Step 3, select who you want to email 12. Schedule how long you want the report to run. 13. Select Update Schedule when complete. History tab The History tab shows you the history of the email for scheduled program statistic reports.

  • Page 89: Port Statistics

    Sentry User Manual Port Statistics Port Statisitics provides non-alert data on a port level that allows you to see information on the transport bitrate and other releveant statistics. Summary tab The Summary tab shows the list of Public and Private saved reports.

  • Page 90: Create A Port Statistics Report

    Sentry User Manual Create a Port Statistics Report 1. Select the Create/Edit tab. 2. Choose date/time frame for your report. 3. Select Statistics. Figure 85: Setting the date or time range 4. Choose any Statisitics you to include. 5. Select Accept.
  • Page 91 Sentry User Manual 7. Select Generate Report. Figure 87: Generate the report Figure 88: Port Statisitics displayed Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 92: Program Groups

    For example you can create Program Groups by their content type (music program group, HD program group) for applying the most appropriate type of alert. If Sentry is set up to monitor the same programs at different locations (e.g., acquisition vs. post multiplexing), you can create two program group respectively by different location for comparison and for problem isolation.
  • Page 93 Sentry User Manual 2. Select a Program Group and then click the Refresh button. Figure 90: Selecting a Program Group 3. The programs that were in the selected group and its current status will populate in the bottom display. NOTE: You are not choosing a PORT at this point, you are choosing a PROGRAM.

  • Page 94: Program Groups Bandwidth

    Sentry User Manual Program Groups Bandwidth Program Groups Bandwidth provides a per program stacked bandwidth graph for a defined program group. This report provides a visual understanding of overall transport bandwidth as well each individual program’s bandwidth. Examples for use would include: ...

  • Page 95: Access Program Groups Bandwidth

    Sentry User Manual Access Program Groups Bandwidth 1. Select Bandwidth from the Reports menu. Figure 93: Accessing Program Group Bandwidth 2. Choose your time frame 3. Choose program group 4. Select Refresh. Figure 94: Selecting time frame and Program Group...
  • Page 96 Sentry User Manual In this example the transport streams bandwidth was graphed for one hour. You can see that some programs take more bandwidth than others. The pink line (Program 75) is using more bandwidth than the olive green line (program 73).

  • Page 97: Dynamic Program Groups

    Sentry User Manual Dynamic Program Groups Dynamic Program Groups allow you to define a program group based on dynamic program attributes instead of just listing the program numbers. Select Configure and Dynamic Program Groups from the main menu. The resulting page will be a list of all of the existing Dynamic Program Groups.
  • Page 98 Sentry User Manual Create a New Program Group Scroll down to Program Group Configuration and either select a current filter (or filters) or create a new one. Example 1: Create a new Dynamic Program Group that uses new Program Group Configuration criteria 1.
  • Page 99 Sentry User Manual 3. In this example, we want to create an Audio Channel Count filter that only shows services that contain 2 audio channels. Figure 99: Setting the Audio Channel Count part 1 4. Enter in the filter criteria and a name for the filter. Click Save.
  • Page 100 Sentry User Manual 6. Now that you have created the filter criteria the next step is to create the Dynamic Program Group. 7. Enter a name for the Dynamic Program Group in the Short Name dialog box. a. Continuing our previous example, call it Audio PID Count = 2.

  • Page 101: Thumbnail Wall View

    Sentry User Manual Thumbnail Wall View You can view thumbnails of active programs on a single screen, using the Program Group of your choice. Each thumbnail includes an alert status indicator, similar to what you see on the Medius Program Alert Dashboard.

  • Page 102: Transport

    Sentry User Manual Transport Transport Status The Transport Status report gives both a summary and a breakdown of statistics on all the MPEG tables within the transport stream, including:  System Info Tables (PAT and PMTs)  DSM-CC Tables ...
  • Page 103 Show the overall transport packet bitrate, the null packet bitrate, the total bitrate, and the average number of transport errors per sec. The transport bitrate is derived from the Sentry engine’s report of the total bitrate and the null packet bitrate. It is the transport packets that the Sentry engine decodes as part of its monitoring.

  • Page 104: Transport Bitrate History

    Sentry User Manual Transport Bitrate History The Transport Bitrate History graph shows the null PID bitrate for the transport. This report is one useful tool to track potential available bandwidth on a transport stream. Access Transport Bitrate History 1. Expand the Transport Bitrate History section by clicking the arrow.
  • Page 105 Sentry User Manual 3. This sample shows a bitrate stream that could possibly be a source for more bandwidth. Possible Available Bandwidth Figure 111: Transport Bitrate History (possible available room) Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 106: Psip

    Sentry User Manual PSIP PSIP stands for Program and System Information Protocol. PSIP is the protocol used in the ATSC digital television standard for carrying metadata about each channel in the broadcast transport stream of a TV station. PSIP also used for publishing information used in electronic viewer guides.
  • Page 107 Sentry User Manual Creating an Alert for PSIP tables You may create an alert to notify you if the PSIP tables are no longer present. 1. To set an alert, select Configure from the main menu 2. Next select Alerts from the drop-down menu.
  • Page 108 Sentry User Manual 4. Walk through the sections on the Creating PID Alerts page: Figure 114: Create PID Alert walkthrough page 5. Section Set the Select Alert Type to Detect. 6. Next, set Generate alert when the PID is to Not Detected.

  • Page 109: Tr101/290 Status

    Sentry User Manual TR101/290 Status The TR101/290 Status report is used to monitor the basic health of the MPEG transport stream. From the TR101/290 Status page, you can look at each individual transport stream and see its stats in real time.
  • Page 110 Sentry User Manual The section at the bottom shows the detailed status of each specific TR101/290 priority. There is significance to each priority level.  Priority 1 represents the most basic and most critical of all the functions. o If you are experiencing errors on Priority 1 this will affect all programs on the transport streams.

  • Page 111: Show Tr101/290 Priorities

    Sentry User Manual The summary blocks at the top simply show the worst state of any of the underlying priorities during that time range. In other words, if an underlying priority was red during the timeframe, the summary block will be red.

  • Page 112: Ip Stats

    To monitor the health of the UDP/IP transport network over time Sentry can be configured to send out an email and SNMP trap alerts when there is packet delay and network jitter (usually caused by traffic congestion) which could potentially impact audio and video quality.
  • Page 113 Sentry User Manual If the top flow (data) stops or slows down, the buffer will run out. This will cause a sharp increase in your Arrival Interval and Delay Factor averages. Figure 121: Not enough flow If the top flow goes too fast, the bucket fills up and spills over. If the buffer becomes full, packet loss will occur.

  • Page 114: Access Ip Stats

    Sentry User Manual Access IP Stats From the home page, select Reports and then IP Stats from the drop-down menu. Figure 123: Selecting IP Stats Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 115: Ip Stats Welcome Page

    Sentry User Manual IP Stats Welcome Page Figure 124: IP Stats Welcome Page  Date/Time selection or interval selection  Sort by port number  Arrival interval Indicates the time between the arrival of UDP packets  Delay factor Indicates how long a data stream must be buffered (i.e., delayed) at its nominal bit rate to prevent packet loss.

  • Page 116: Graphing Ports

    Sentry User Manual Graphing Ports To see a port or group of ports in a graph, select the desired ports by clicking the check box next to each port. You may only graph up to six ports at a time.

  • Page 117: Zoom In On A Graph

    Alerts for IP Stats do not come pre-set. You will need to set the alerts to your specific needs. 1. Allow Sentry to collect data on your network for 15 minutes. This will allow you to find the average for Arrival Interval and Delay Factor. You will need these averages to set your alerts.
  • Page 118 Sentry User Manual 3. The Creating IP Stats Alerts window is laid out to walk the user through the three step creation process. 4. Starting at Section , the Arrival Interval option should be already set. If not, you may select it from the drop-down menu.
  • Page 119 Sentry User Manual 8. For Section , choose what you want to happen when the alert is generated. Figure 131: Selecting notifications and Save Alert 9. At this point, you may enter any email addresses you wish the alerts to be delivered to. The default setting will always save the alert in Alert History.

  • Page 120: Create Alerts For Delay Factor

    IP Stats Monitoring Notes The graphs in IP Stats can be useful for basic trouble shooting. When packets are lost on your network, Sentry displays complete data loss as a large red block. The red block indicates that there was no data for that time period.

  • Page 121: Port Failover History

    Sentry User Manual Port Failover History If you have configured backup multicast settings for your Ethernet ports, the Port Failover History report will show you when any ports were switched to monitoring the backup settings, displayed in red. Periods where the primary settings were being monitored are displayed in blue.

  • Page 122: Carousel Status

    Open Cable Application Platform (OCAP) provides a set of specifications to assist the cable industry with deploying interactive services. More specifically to Sentry, OCAP is an add-on module that is available for purchase that is used for the monitoring of OCAP streams and systems.

  • Page 123: Access Ocap Carousel

    Sentry User Manual Access OCAP Carousel From the home page, select Reports and then OCAP Status from the drop-down menu. Figure 136: OCAP Status menu Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 124: Ocap Summary Tab

    Sentry User Manual OCAP Summary tab The opening page for OCAP Status is the OCAP Summary. The user may navigate to any of the four tabs for more information on the selected OCAP stream.  Summary A snap shot view of all the OCAP streams currently being monitored ...

  • Page 125: Ocap Files Tab

    Sentry User Manual OCAP Files tab The OCAP Files tab will allow you to view the details for the selected OCAP stream. In the figure below the port was named OCAP. Select specific OCAP port for viewing Set Date/Time or time interval...
  • Page 126 Sentry User Manual Select the Viewing Time Frame You may narrow the time frame that you wish to monitor by setting the date and time section. The radio button will auto select as soon as you click in the Date/Time selection fields.

  • Page 127: Files Tab

    Sentry User Manual Files tab The left pane shows all the available directories and the right pane shows the details for the carousels selected on the left. From the left pane, you may also expand directories to view the sub-directories.
  • Page 128 Sentry User Manual Selecting and expanding a Directory 1. Select a directory to see more details. The details may take a moment to load. Figure 141: Selecting a directory and loading details 2. The resulting information will show the details for that carousel for the given time period.
  • Page 129 Sentry User Manual 3. To see subdirectories, click the plus sign next to the directory to open it and then select the sub directory you wish to see. Figure 143: The Motorola sub-directory with details Color Code Key The following color coding applies throughout the OCAP Status pages.

  • Page 130: Applications Tab

    Sentry User Manual Applications tab The OCAP Applications tab shows what applications are referenced in the XAIT and AIT. This is where the set top box can look for particular applications to use. Figure 144: Applications tab Sentry User Manual...

  • Page 131: Events Tab

    Sentry User Manual Events tab The Events tab provides an Events History and a File History. The Events History provides a tabular view of files and directories that have been added, removed or changed for a specified time period. Figure 145: Event History...
  • Page 132 Sentry User Manual File History allows the user see files status for a particular time frame. Figure 146: File History Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 133: Set Alerts In Ocap Status

    Sentry User Manual Set Alerts in OCAP Status 1. Select Configure and Alerts from the main menu. 2. Next, select the OCAP tab. 3. From the resulting OCAP Alerts Summary page, you can create alerts for your particular OCAP carousel.
  • Page 134 Sentry User Manual 9. In Section , for this example, locate the directory you wish to monitor by looking through the file browser. 10. Select any sub folders you wish to monitor by selecting [add] next to their name. They will appear in the box below the main table.

  • Page 135: Review Ocap Alerts In Alert History

    Sentry User Manual Review OCAP Alerts in Alert History 1. To view any of the OCAP Alert History, select Reports: Alert History. 2. Next, locate Alert Type and click on Select. Figure 151: Alert History and Alert Source selections 3. Unselect the All Types option.
  • Page 136 Sentry User Manual 5. Then select Next. 6. Unselect All Sources. Figure 153: Unselect All Sources 7. Select the OCAP alert you wish to sort by (OCAP File, OCAP Folder and/or OCAP File Extension). Figure 154: Select the OCAP alert 8.

  • Page 137: Bfs Status

    Application clients access files over the BFS using the PowerTV Stream Manager interface. BFS Mapping There is a direct mapping from the S-A BFS to Sentry. All S-A BFS servers map to programs within Sentry (see figure below). All PIDs carrying these programs are associated with these servers.
  • Page 138 Sentry User Manual Figure 155: Mapping between Scientific-Atlanta’s DNCS BFS Servers and Sentry Programs Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 139: Access Bfs Status

    Sentry User Manual Access BFS Status Select Reports and then BFS Status. Figure 156: Accessing BFS Status Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 140: Summary Tab

    Sentry User Manual Summary tab Click on the Summary tab for a summary view of the BFS status on ports that have carousel data. Figure 157: BFS Status Summary  Carousel bitrate The total bitrate for the entire BFS. ...

  • Page 141: Detail Tab

    Sentry User Manual Detail tab For a detailed view of BFS data on one port, select the Detail tab To view the details for a specific port, click on the desired port from the table. Only one input port may be selected at a time for BFS reports.
  • Page 142 Sentry User Manual  Current Status Indicates UP (green) if all files in the BFS Source are getting data. If some but not all files are getting data, the Status indicates UP annotated with the number of up files out of all files, e.g., 7 of 8. The Status indicates DOWN (red) if the bitrate for all files is zero.

  • Page 143: Drill Down To Bfs Detail View

    Sentry User Manual Drill Down to BFS Detail View To go to the BFS Detail View, select the BFS Source ID Figure 160: Select Src ID number Figure 161: BFS Detail View for Source ID 2 To navigate to the Program Detail page for a particular PID, select the PID assigned to the Source ID.
  • Page 144 Sentry User Manual Figure 163: Source Program Detail from selecting PID 113 Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 145: Ebif Status

    EBIF is an optional module on a Sentry line of products. If you have an EBIF module installed, the Sentry will perform a full decode of the EBIF carousel and log relevant data concerning structure and attributes.

  • Page 146: Detail Tab

    Sentry User Manual Detail tab The Detail tab shows detailed reports on any selected Port. Only one Port may be viewed at a time. View a report: 1. From the Detail tab, choose the port for the multicast. (In this example, Port 0.) 2.

  • Page 147: Viewing Program Detail From Ebif Status

    Sentry User Manual  Authority The server name  History The block view following the main legend  Current Status Up: The number of modules currently present. Down: The number currently down.  Pending Data coming in but is still processing.
  • Page 148 Sentry User Manual Figure 167: EBIF Program Details screen  EISS Apps (EISS-ETV Integrated Signaling Stream) • Carries Media Time Line Messages, Stream Events, EISS Tables for an ETV application. • Tells the user application when to function and when data is present •...

  • Page 149: Applications Tab

    Sentry User Manual Applications tab The Applications tab shows you the application EISS history for a specified time frame for that particular port. Figure 168: Applications tab  Organization ID (Org ID) • This 32 bit field is a globally unique value identifying the organization that is responsible for the application.
  • Page 150 Sentry User Manual  Flags Each application has a set of flags. This field represents the test flag.  Max protocol version This field, if non-zero, specifies the maximum major (EISS) protocol version supported by user agents that should decode this application.

  • Page 151: Events Tab

    Sentry User Manual Events tab The Events tab shows a history view of when modules were changed, added or removed. Figure 169: Events tab Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 152: Alerts

    Sentry User Manual Alerts Alert History The Alert History shows a detailed list of alerts that have been detected by the system based on alerts that been configured within the system. The # in the first column of the log is unique for each alert detected while the Alert ID column is unique for each alert configured.
  • Page 153 Sentry User Manual For any program alert, you may click on the program name in the Alert History and it will take you to the half hour on either side of where the error occurred. Click on the program name in the Event Log to take you to the Program Detail Report for specified alert.

  • Page 154: Report Export

    Sentry User Manual Report Export Report Export allows you to export any report you have created to a comma separated value file which can be imported into a program such as MS Excel. Accessing Report Export Select Alert History from the Reports Toolbar.
  • Page 155 Sentry User Manual Exporting a file as a CSV 1. From the Alert History page, configure the report as needed. Next, select Export As CSV. Figure 173: Selecting a Report from the Alert History Page NOTE: The Export to CSV function will export ONLY what is currently displayed on the alert history.
  • Page 156 Sentry User Manual 3. The result of an export to MS Excel would look similar to the following: Figure 175: A report exported to MS Excel Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 157: Alert Analysis

    Sentry User Manual Alert Analysis Alert Analysis provides an easy to use graphic analysis to visually represent alerts. These representations can be useful to track trends and to display a variety of information for any viewer, regardless of their technical experience.

  • Page 158: Alert Analysis Summary Screen

    Sentry User Manual Alert Analysis Summary Screen The summary screen consists of the following areas:  Report Navigation tabs Takes user to new reports  New Report icons Allows user to select type for new report  Existing Reports list...

  • Page 159: Report Navigation Tabs And New Report Icons

    Sentry User Manual Report Navigation tabs and New Report icons The Report Navigation tabs contain most of the same areas that the New Report icons do. Either may be used according to your preference.  Summary Create a new report or view and/or modify saved reports.
  • Page 160 Sentry User Manual How to create a sample Counts report This function allows you to set your counts to count by program for specified time frame. Selecting Top 10 will generate the top 10 alert counts by program. This is used to see what your problem channels are.
  • Page 161 Sentry User Manual Saving a configured report Once you have a report the way you like it, save it so that you can run it again without having to reconfigure it. If you make it public, others users will be able to use it as well. Selecting Private will make it only viewable for your specific login.
  • Page 162 Sentry User Manual 3. Section : Select the Frequency 4. Section : Select recipients a. Format the email Figure 181: Scheduling Options page 5. Section : Schedule the delivery end times. You may set it to only email you one time, every time or to end on a particular date.

  • Page 163: Trends Tab

    Sentry User Manual Trends tab The Trends tab totals the alert count over time for all or selected ports. This report will generate a line graph of the number alerts for a time period per port. Figure 182: Trends tab options Set a Trends report 1.

  • Page 164: Trend Details Tab

    Sentry User Manual Trend Details tab Trend Details allows you to create an expanded Trend report. This is a handy report to run if you want to further investigate something from the Trend report 1. Select Trend Details Figure 183: Trend Details options 2.
  • Page 165 Sentry User Manual Figure 184: The resulting Trend Details graph Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 166: Distributions Tab

    Sentry User Manual Distributions tab Distributions will give you a pie chart graphic that shows the break out of all the different types of alerts. Figure 185: The Distributions tab Use this to see a distribution summary of all of your alerts for a given time period. This could be handy to know what percentage of all your alerts are of a certain type.

  • Page 167: History Tab

    Sentry User Manual History tab The History tab allows the user to see a schedule of reports that have been mailed. It is primarily used to see who is receiving what alerts and when they are receiving them. Figure 187: History Tab 1.

  • Page 168: Program Alert Definitions Report

    Sentry User Manual Program Alert Definitions Report The Program Alert Definitions (Program Alert Defs) report allows you to view alerts defined to every program and to quickly find programs with no alerts set. Filters can be set by counts. For example, you could select to show all programs without any set alerts.

  • Page 169: Create/Edit Tab

    Sentry User Manual Create/Edit tab How to Set Program Alert Definition Counts 1. Select Program Alert Defs from main menu 2. Select the Create/Edit tab Figure 190: Create/Edit tab 3. Example 1: To find programs with no set alerts a. Accept the defaults in the Display Programs with box.
  • Page 170 Sentry User Manual Figure 191: Finding programs with no set alerts Sentry User Manual March 2017...
  • Page 171 Sentry User Manual 4. Example 2: Track program with duplicate alerts. Used to monitor if there are more alerts set than you thought. a. Accept all defaults. b. Select Generate Report. Figure 192: Tracking programs with multiple alerts In this example, HBO has 27 total Alert Definitions.

  • Page 172: History Tab

    Sentry User Manual 5. Select Save Report button and give the report a name. Figure 194: Saving the report 6. Select Yes on the confirmation pop up box. 7. Select Schedule Report. Figure 195: Schedule the Report 8. Complete scheduling steps as shown in Scheduling Alerts.
  • Page 173 Sentry User Manual Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 174: Configure

    Sentry User Manual Configure The Configure menu section is used to configure and set parameters that stay constant throughout Sentry reports and forms. NOTE: To configure and set parameters, you must log in with Administrator privileges. The following are configurable items: ...

  • Page 175: Configure Alerts

    Sentry alerts when the average cycle time equals the set limit.  Cycle Time/Less Than Sentry alerts when the minimum cycle time in the last 5 sec. falls below the set limit. The alert is reset when the minimum cycle time exceeds the set limit. ...

  • Page 176: Create An Alert

    Sentry User Manual Create an Alert Alerts can be created one of two ways:  By selecting Configure and then Alerts from the main menu  Or by clicking on the alert icon to the right or left of the stream you wish to create an alert for...
  • Page 177 Sentry User Manual Figure 197: Creating Program Alerts via the Program Status Report Sentry User Manual March 2017...
  • Page 178 Figure 198: Creating PID Alerts via the Program Status Report Figure 199: Creating Program Alerts via the Program Detail Report NOTE: PCR Interval and PCR Jitter alerts only appear in the Program alerts menu if the Sentry is an ASI model.

  • Page 179: Create Alerts Step By Step

    Sentry User Manual Create Alerts Step by Step Access the alert you want from the Alerts summary page. Figure 200: Select Create Once Create or a link is selected, the corresponding Creating Alerts page opens. Each Creating Alerts page is divided into three main sections, identified by...
  • Page 180 Sentry User Manual    NOTE: Sections differ with the type of alert. Section is the same for all types of alerts. Section allows you to select the type of alert and set the condition for its generation. Figure 201: Selecting the Alert Type Section allows you to identify what you want to alert on.
  • Page 181 Sentry User Manual 2. Select the desired Port names from the list and select Add Checked Boxes to Selection button. The selections will appear in the window below. Figure 203: Selecting PIDs to Alert On Section allows you to specify who will be notified of the alert. The alert will be logged to the database automatically.
  • Page 182 Sentry User Manual Select Save Alert to save and activate your new alert. The system will respond with an Alert Saved message whose content is specific to the alert. Figure 205: PID Alert Saved Message The alert will now show up on the Alert Summary page...

  • Page 183: View Created Alerts

    Sentry User Manual View Created Alerts The alerts that have been created can be viewed from the Alerts Summary page by expanding alert types that have a number greater than zero in parentheses. Figure 207: Alerts Summary Page showing Created Alerts Delete Alert 1.

  • Page 184: Access Alerts Summary

    Sentry User Manual Access Alerts Summary To open up a list of all available alerts, select Configure and Alerts from the main menu. This will open the Alerts Summary page. Figure 208: Alerts Summary page Sentry User Manual March 2017...
  • Page 185 Sentry User Manual Figure 209: Alerts Summary page bottom Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 186: Scrambled Alerts

    Sentry User Manual Scrambled Alerts You can set Program-based and PID-based Scrambled Alerts from a Program Availability Template or the Program Template Alert. The alert can be set to trigger upon the detection of scrambled or unscrambled content, or when the CA descriptor value conflicts with actual stream content.
  • Page 187 Sentry User Manual Figure 211: Selecting Scrambled Alerts Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 188: Transport Tab

    Sentry User Manual Transport tab Selecting the Transport tab opens the Transport Alerts Summary. Figure 212: Transport Alerts Summary Page Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 189: Types Of Transport Alerts

     PCR Jitter Generates the alert when the PCR jitter is greater than, equal to, or less than a specified number of nanoseconds (converted by Sentry to 27Mhz units) for any of the selected programs.  Perceptual Video QOE(eMOS) Generates an alert when the PVQ goes above or below a user set threshold. This is not coupled with any particular QOE event or alert.
  • Page 190 Sentry User Manual  Audio Dialnorm Generates the alert when the audio level goes above or below dialnorm by a specified dB value on either the primary audio PID or any audio PID.  ECM Toggle Interval Generates the alert when the ECM toggle interval is greater than or less than x number of seconds.

  • Page 191: Pid Alerts

    Sentry User Manual PID Alerts  Detect Generates the alert when any of the selected PIDs is present or absent in the system. When the alert is first created the condition (present or absent) is checked, and thereafter is only checked when the PID is created or destroyed.

  • Page 192: Pmt

    Sentry User Manual Table on a Port  Detect Generates the alert when the selected Table ID is present or not present on any selected port. When the alert is first set the condition (present or not present) is checked, and thereafter is only checked when the table is created or destroyed.
  • Page 193 Sentry User Manual  DC Bitrate Generates the alert when the total bitrate for all DCs on any selected port is greater than, equal to, or less than a specified value.  DC Cycle Time Generates the alert when any of the selected DCs on any selected Port has a cycle time greater than, equal to, or less than a specified value.

  • Page 194: Dsm-Cc

    Sentry User Manual DSM-CC  DC Detect Generates the alert when the selected DC is present or not present. When the alert is first set the condition (present or not present) is checked, and thereafter is only checked when the DC is created or destroyed.

  • Page 195: Sample Transport Alerts

    Sentry User Manual Sample Transport Alerts Create Audio Level Alerts 1. From the main menu, select Configure and then Alerts. 2. You will be redirected to the Alerts Summary page. Under Transport Alerts, scroll down to Program Alerts and select Create.
  • Page 196 Sentry User Manual Figure 214: The drop-down menu in Step 1 NOTE: Absolute Audio Levels will determine if levels go above or below a certain db rating. Figure 215: Selecting Absolute Audio Level 5. Section will automatically expand to include the following: Figure 216: Expanded information area including the fields for “Generate alert when”...
  • Page 197 Sentry User Manual 6. Set Generate alert when the absolute audio level goes above/below the dB for the desired audio program. 7. Set the dB to the desired measurement. 8. Next, select Only if these conditions are sustained and select the time requirements.
  • Page 198 Sentry User Manual 10. The table for Section will automatically fill with the program information. Figure 219: The Program Group table 11. Section Select the email settings for desired notifications. Figure 220: Email Settings 12. Review Sections 1-3 and select Save Alert when finished.

  • Page 199: Create A Transport Null Pid Bitrate Alert

    Sentry User Manual Create a Transport NULL PID Bitrate Alert 1. From the main menu, select Configure and then Alerts. 2. From the Transport Alerts column, scroll down to PID Alerts and select Create. 3. Finally, from the Creating PID Alerts page, work your way through Sections 1-3.

  • Page 200: Create Mean Audio Level Alerts

    It does NOT measure the average change for that time period. For example, if you specify a 30 dB increase over 10 seconds, Sentry will alert you if the volume increases by 30 db at any point in the last 10 seconds.

  • Page 201: Create Audio Dialnorm Alert

    Sentry User Manual Create Audio Dialnorm Alert 1. From the main menu, select Configure and then Alerts. 2. From the Transport Alerts column, scroll down to Program Alerts and select Create. 3. Finally, from the Creating Program Alerts page, work your way through Sections 1-3.

  • Page 202: Buffer Overrun/Underrun Detection

    Sentry User Manual Buffer overrun/underrun detection Buffer overrun and underrun can occur for a variety of reasons, such as network jitter, improper MUXing, improper encoding, etc. Buffer overruns/underruns can cause the picture or sound to drop out completely or freeze for a short time, then resume. Some set top boxes, mainly older units, are more sensitive to buffer overruns than other models.

  • Page 203: Configure Buffer Overrun/Underrun Detection

    Sentry User Manual Configure Buffer overrun/underrun detection NOTE: The Audio Silence Alerts template is the only place to set the Audio Buffer overrun/underrun detection. You cannot do this from the Program template. As the QoE score looks at buffer issues, these alerts should only be set if you looking for specific buffer issues.
  • Page 204 Sentry User Manual 3. On Section 1, select alert type, select Audio Silence. Figure 227: Selecting alert type 4. Next, select either the Audio buffer underrun or Audio buffer overrun box or both, as needed. Figure 228: Selecting underrun and/or overrun 5.

  • Page 205: Bfs Tab

    Sentry User Manual BFS tab The BFS tab opens the BFS Alerts Summary page. Figure 229: BFS Alerts Summary Page Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 206: Types Of Bfs Alerts

    Sentry User Manual Types of BFS Alerts BFS Source  Bitrate Generates the alert when the total bitrate of any of the selected sources is greater than, equal to, or less than a specified bitrate.  File Added/Removed Generates the alert when any file is either added to or removed from any of the selected sources. The condition (added or removed) is not checked when the alert is created, the alert is only generated when the file is added or removed.

  • Page 207: Types Of Ocap Alerts

    Sentry User Manual Types of OCAP Alerts File Alerts  Detect Generates the alert when the selected file is present or is not present.  Bitrate Generates the alert when the file bitrate is greater than, equal to, or less than a specified value.

  • Page 208: Configure Program Availability Definitions

    Sentry User Manual Configure Program Availability Definitions 1. From the main toolbar, select Configure and then Alerts. 2. From the resulting page, under Templates, select Create Template next to the Program Availability Templates header. NOTE: Program availability definitions affect only the program availability/error seconds computations.
  • Page 209 Sentry User Manual 3. For Section , defaults are provided but any setting can be customized for your needs. You can also disable parameters that you do not wish to use by un-checking the appropriate box. Figure 231: Step 1 for Creating Program Availability Templates...
  • Page 210 Sentry User Manual 4. In Section , name the template and select Save Template. Figure 232: Step 2 Naming and Saving the template Figure 233: Template Saved dialogue box 5. Select OK on the Template Saved confirmation. Sentry User Manual...

  • Page 211: Create Program Template Alerts

    Sentry User Manual Create Program Template Alerts One of the primary functions of the Sentry unit is to allow the user to monitor their programs through a series of Alerts that they can configure for optimal personal use. The best way to set up different types of alerts and be able to apply them to multiple programs is to create an Alert Template.
  • Page 212 Sentry User Manual 2. From the resulting page, select Create Template from next to the Program Template Alerts header. Figure 235: Create a Template Sentry User Manual March 2017...
  • Page 213 Sentry User Manual 3. From the Program Template Alert creation page, you may create a template that can be used almost anywhere in the alert creation process. You may create an alert template to fit your particular programs, such as HD, SD, or Music only.
  • Page 214 Sentry User Manual 4. For Section , defaults are provided but any setting can be customized for your needs. You can also disable parameters that you do not wish to use by un-checking the appropriate box. Figure 237: Step 1 Selecting when the alert should be generated 5.
  • Page 215 NOTE: Now that you have created the Alert Template, the next step is to actually create the alert! You have just created a list of parameters that Sentry can use to apply to specific programs. Until you apply the template to the programs, no alerts will be generated.

  • Page 216: Create An Alert From A Template Using A Program Alert

    Sentry User Manual Create an alert from a Template using a Program Alert 1. Select the desired Program Template Alert from the list and click the expand button. Figure 240: Expanding Program Template Alpha Sentry User Manual March 2017...
  • Page 217 Sentry User Manual 2. Next, select Create Alert. Figure 241: Create the alert 3. From the Creating Program Alerts page, start at Section and verify that the previously selected Program Template is showing in the drop-down menu. Figure 242: Step 1 Checking for correct Program Template 4.
  • Page 218 , set the notifications for the alert. Figure 244: Set Notifications and Save 7. Review the page and select Save Alert when you are finished. 8. Now the Sentry will start to monitor those programs with the parameters you selected. Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 219: Create An Alert Template Without A Program Group

    Sentry User Manual Create an alert template without a Program Group 1. Follow the entire process up until Section of the Creating Program Alerts page. 2. In Section select the radio button for Select Programs and click on the drop-down menu for the desired transport stream.
  • Page 220 Sentry User Manual 4. Finally, in Section , set the notifications for the alert. Figure 247: Set Notifications and Save 5. Review the page and select Save Alert when you are finished. Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 221: Program Groups

    For example you can create Program Groups by their content type (music program group, HD program group) for applying the most appropriate type of alert. If Sentry is set up to monitor the same programs at different locations (e.g., acquisition vs. post multiplexing), you can create two program group respectively by different location for comparison and for problem isolation.

  • Page 222: Groups Summary Tab

    Sentry User Manual Groups Summary tab The Groups Summary tab has two primary sections to lead you through the creation process. 1. Start by selecting Create Group. Figure 249: Create a Group 2. In Section , select a port from the drop-down menu.
  • Page 223 Sentry User Manual 3. The result should look similar to this: Figure 251: Backfilled Port information 4. Next select the programs you wish to add to the group by checking the appropriate box. When you have finished selecting programs, and click Add Selected Programs to Group.
  • Page 224 Sentry User Manual 5. The selected programs will now move to Programs in group at the bottom of this step. You may continue this process until all desired programs are showing in the Programs in group window. Figure 253: Select the program and add it to the group 6.

  • Page 225: Add Unlisted Programs

    Sentry User Manual Add unlisted programs At this time, you may also add programs to the group that are not on the list by using the section at the bottom of Section . This is a handy feature for upcoming programs.
  • Page 226 Sentry User Manual 5. You will receive the following notification box. Select OK to continue. Figure 256: Group Saved dialogue box 6. You will be sent to the Program Groups Summary page where the new group name will appear. Figure 257: The new program group 7.

  • Page 227: Configure Program Mappings

    Sentry User Manual Configure Program Mappings Sentry automatically detects program names and associated icons within the transport stream; however, in some cases this data is not available. Configure: Mappings enables you to associate a particular icon and network name with a port and program number. This association is saved in the internal relational database.
  • Page 228 Sentry User Manual 2. To add a new mapping, click Add New Mapping button located at the bottom of the page. Figure 260: Add New Mapping button 3. Next, select the port and program number for which you want to create the mapping.
  • Page 229 7. The new mapping will appear in the mappings list. 8. You can also manually add a provider name in the text field and upload an associated icon. NOTE 1: Existing Mappings will be not be overridden if Sentry automatically detects the correct program name and symbol.

  • Page 230: Delete A Mapping

    Sentry User Manual Delete a Mapping To delete a mapping select the Delete link. This will remove the mapping. Once mappings are deleted, the user will have to re-create them if they are needed again. Figure 263: Delete a Mapping link Modify a Mapping To modify a mapping select the Edit link.

  • Page 231: Configure Port Names

    Sentry User Manual Configure Port Names 1. Sentry offers the capability to name an individual port. 2. Start by locating the unnamed port and clicking Edit. Figure 264: Configure Port Names 3. Next, add the new port name in the appropriate field.

  • Page 232: Configure Bfs Settings

    Sentry User Manual Configure BFS Settings The BFSdir file contains data used to display the server, folder, and file names corresponding to the BFS Source in the BFS Reports. 1. To configure, enter the source ID for the BFSdir file in the corresponding field.

  • Page 233: Configure Triggered Stream Captures

     Triggered by User Captures manually through the Capture Now button. See the About section on your Sentry for license specifications on your particular unit. (See your Tektronix Account Manager for more information.) Figure 267: Alert Triggered Stream Captures overview Access Alert Stream Captures 1.

  • Page 234: Create Alert Stream Captures (When None Currently Exist)

    Sentry User Manual Create Alert Stream Captures (When none currently exist) There are two ways to setup a capture from Sentry: Triggered by Alert and Triggered by User. Figure 269: Stream Capture trigger buttons 1) Next, select either Triggered by Alert or Triggered by User...
  • Page 235 Sentry User Manual Figure 271: Select a Program 2) Select Accept. Figure 272: License Notice 3) Select an Alert Type a. To use Add Alert for this Program, select and then go through the step by step process and return to step 1.
  • Page 236 Sentry User Manual 4) Next, select the expiration details, including: • Capture Duration o How long the capture should last • Number of files to capture o How many files you need for the capture • When the file limit is reached o What to do when the capture limit is reached •...
  • Page 237 Sentry User Manual 10) Right click on Download to save ts file. Figure 276: Save File dialog box Sentry User Manual March 2017...
  • Page 238 Sentry User Manual Triggered by User 1) Select a port and a program. Figure 277: Select a Port Figure 278: Select a Program 2) Select Accept. Sentry User Manual March 2017...
  • Page 239 Sentry User Manual 3) Next, select the expiration details, including:  Capture Duration How long the capture should last  Number of files to capture How many files you need for the capture  When the file limit is reached What to do when the capture limit is reached ...
  • Page 240 Sentry User Manual 7) Scroll down the page to the bottom and find Captured Files. Figure 282: Captured Files 8) Locate the capture that you want to download. 9) Right click on Download to save ts file. Figure 283: Save File dialog box...

  • Page 241: Deactivate Or Delete A Stream Capture (When One Previously Exists)

    Sentry User Manual Deactivate or Delete a Stream Capture (when one previously exists) To create a Stream Capture when one currently exists, you will first need to deactivate the existing capture. This will allow you to create a new Stream Capture.

  • Page 242: Retrieve Captured Files

    Sentry User Manual Retrieve Captured Files The Captured Files section lists all of the saved captured files along with its reference information. Figure 286: Captured Files  Program Name The name of program  Alert Condition The condition that triggered the capture ...

  • Page 243: Defaults Tab

    Sentry User Manual Defaults tab The Defaults tab shows all default settings for a new stream capture. Figure 287: Defaults tab and settings Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 244: Configure Triggered Stream Captures(Via Nexidia Comply™)

    • Nexidia Server IP • Nexidia Server API Port • Folder Name: Sentry must be able to copy files to this shared folder on the Nexidia server with the specified username/password. Your system administrator is responsible for creating this shared folder. • Username •...

  • Page 245: Create A Nexidia Comply Profile

    Sentry User Manual Create a Nexidia Comply Profile A Nexidia profile is a group of tests you can perform for the Closed Caption verification. You must have a Nexidia profile defined in order to schedule verification jobs. To create a Nexidia profile on the Nexidia server, select Create a Nexidia Comply Profile from the Settings tab (see above figure).

  • Page 246: Create Caption Profile

    Create Caption Profile The user may submit an API request to the Nexidia server to create a profile. The request will be seeded with default parameters. Sentry only supports type srt profiles. To create the profile, select the Create Caption Profile button.
  • Page 247 This is a list of the profiles (which tell Nexidia what types of verification checks to perform) that have been configured on the Nexidia server. Sentry only supports type srt profiles. If you have configured Nexidia profiles for non-Sentry purposes with other formats, choosing a non-srt profile from this list will result in job errors.

  • Page 248: Review Job History

    When the verification job is submitted, you will see the status of the current job in a table. The process works as follows: a. Sentry will begin capturing audio files (segments), and will do so in five-minute segments. b. When each segment is captured it will then be submitted to Nexidia Comply for closed caption verification.
  • Page 249 Sentry User Manual To further filter the results by a specific program, clicking the radio button next to Select Program and then select the Select Program button. You can sort results by any of the columns by clicking on the column header or selecting that column from the Sort By drop-down menu.

  • Page 250: Review Closed Caption Verification Results

    Sentry User Manual Review Closed Caption Verification Results If your Sentry has a Closed Caption Verification license, a new column of types (Nexidia CC Verification) will show up on the Data Detect and Program Group Data Detect reports. Figure 296: Verification Results To see all programs that had Closed Caption Verification performed against them during the report timeframe, select the appropriate Nexidia CC Verification options.
  • Page 251 Sentry User Manual To view the details of the Closed Caption Verification for any block, hover over that block. This will summarize the checks that were performed during that segment, as outlined by your Nexidia profile and the results of each check.
  • Page 252 Sentry User Manual Scroll down in the detailed window to see all of the details provided by the Nexidia tests. Figure 299: Additional Details Click Close Detail to exit. Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 253: Configure Schedules

    Sentry User Manual Configure Schedules Configure Schedules allows the user to make schedules to use in the Program Statistics report to further limit the time range. You may choose to limit by either Daily or Weekly schedules.  Daily allows you to choose a time range to run every day.
  • Page 254 Sentry User Manual 3. Select Add Range. Figure 302: Add Range 4. Select your start and end time and select Apply. Then select Add. Figure 303: Start and end times 5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 as needed. 6. Select the box under Schedule Detail.
  • Page 255 Sentry User Manual 8. The new schedule will now show on the Schedule Summary page and on the menu for Program Statistics reports. Figure 305: The new schedule 9. Repeat as needed. Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 256: Create A Weekly Schedule

    Sentry User Manual Create a Weekly Schedule 1. Select Create. Figure 306: Create 2. Select Weekly: Full Hours from the Schedule Type drop down. Figure 307: Drop down menu for Weekly: Full Hours 3. Select Add Range Figure 308: Add Range 4.
  • Page 257 Sentry User Manual 5. Select the time period for each day and select Apply to each time period 6. Select Add when done. Figure 309: Days and Times 7. Repeat steps 3-6 as needed. 8. Select the box under Schedule Detail.

  • Page 258: Dashboard Graphs

    Sentry User Manual Dashboard Graphs Dashboard Graphs allow you to create or delete graphs you see on the Program Dashboard screens. You have two options for creating a Dashboard display:  Private Program Dashboard Graphs are only visible to you ...

  • Page 259: Create A Dashboard Graph

    Sentry User Manual Create a Dashboard Graph 1. Select Create from the Dashboard Graphs page. 2. Set the Statistics, Ranges (shown as bars on the graph) and Color as needed. 3. Enter the name of the new graph. 4. Select Save Graph.

  • Page 260: Configure Mpeg Input Settings

    Configure: MPEG Input Settings will allow you to configure the inputs for any type of input: MPEG over IP (GigE), ASI, RF or Edge. For any MPEG over IP input, Use Configure: MPEG Input Settings to configure the Ethernet connection(s). Sentry will not receive the transport stream input over the Ethernet unless the settings are correctly configured.
  • Page 261 Sentry User Manual Figure 314: MPEG over IP with Multicast Figure 315: tabs with RF settings option Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 262: Set Ssm

    Sentry User Manual Set SSM SSM is set to default with a *. If you are using SSM, enter your source IP address for the Multicast in the source IP field. If you do not wish to use this feature, enter a * or leave it at the default setting.

  • Page 263: Backup Multicast Settings

    Figure 317: Multicast backup settings When Sentry is monitoring the backup settings for any port, the Use column arrow will be pointing to the right. Figure 318: Monitoring Multicast backup settings There will also be an indicator on many of the reports indicating that the backup settings are being monitored.
  • Page 264 The Port Failover History report will show details of when the inputs switched from primary to backup or vice versa. You can also manually instruct Sentry to monitor the backup settings for any port by clicking on the arrow, which will switch it to point towards the opposite input settings, and clicking Save.

  • Page 265: Multicast Stream Collision Errors (Multiple Sources Detected On Input Ports)

    Multicast Stream Collision Errors (Multiple Sources Detected on Input Ports) In the event that multiple sources are sending data using the same multicast address and port, the Sentry will display a banner telling the user that there are multicast collisions on the specified port(s).

  • Page 266: Sentry With 2 Nd Mpeg Input Option Installed

    Figure 322: MPEG Input Settings If the Sentry has the second MPEG input option installed, there will be two copper network interfaces directly on the box for MPEG monitoring. Therefore, configuration of MPEG inputs has some additional options.

  • Page 267: Sentry With Vlan Support Enabled

    Sentry User Manual Sentry with VLAN Support Enabled Any Sentry may be licensed to monitor MPEG content on VLANs (Virtual Local Area Networks). (Contact Customer Service for more information on enabling this feature.) A system that is licensed for VLAN Monitoring will have a VLAN Enabled checkbox in the upper right section of the Ethernet MPEG Input Configuration page.
  • Page 268 Sentry User Manual Figure 324: Configure VLAN settings 3. Enter the Base Ethernet settings. These are the standard IP and Netmask for the physical Ethernet input. 4. You will see VLANs on each Ethernet input, up to your licensed maximum. Define the following for each available VLAN: •...

  • Page 269: Assign/Configure Ports On A Vlan

    Sentry User Manual Assign/Configure Ports on a VLAN 1. Select the tab for your desired VLAN. This VLAN tab will first list the ports that are already configured on that VLAN, and then all of the unassigned ports (those that are not configured and assigned to a given VLAN).

  • Page 270: Reviewing Port/Vlan Assignments And Vlan Status

    VLAN. Configured VLAN Status Configured Ports Assigned VLANs Figure 328: Reviewing Port/VLAN status NOTE: VLAN Configurations and Port/VLAN assignments are supported in the CSV Import/Export files. Port/VLAN assignments are supported via the Sentry API methods. Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 271: Configure System Preferences

    Sentry User Manual Configure System Preferences The System Preferences page offers options for:  Ad Cue PIDs  Perceptual Video Quality (eMOS) Settings  Default Provider Name Settings  Provider Name Parsing  Audio Measurement Mode  Thumbnail Settings Figure 329: System Preferences options...
  • Page 272 Sentry User Manual In support of CALM Act compliance, you can select the audio measurement mode from the Configure: System Preferences section. You can also set the sliding window average to either three or ten seconds. Additionally, the Program Statistics Report now contains a column to indicate the Audio (Measurement) Mode.

  • Page 273: Configure Tr101/290 Settings

    Hover over the * to see the factory default setting. Sentry will stop performing any of the disabled tests. Additionally, if all of the tests for a given priority are disabled, that priority will no longer appear on the TR101/290 Status report.

  • Page 274: Configure System Settings

    Sentry User Manual Configure System Settings There are four categories of system settings: Network, Time, Locale and Maintenance Mode. 1. Select System Settings from the Configure main-menu. 2. Click on the Network tab to view the network system settings. Figure 331: Configure System Settings: Network tab...

  • Page 275: Network Settings

    Sentry User Manual Network settings The Network page allows you to specify Sentry’s full name and configure the LAN2 Ethernet connection, the management connection that enables Sentry’s web interface. TCP/IP and the internet require that every host, i.e., computer, be uniquely identified by both name and address.

  • Page 276: Set The Time

    Time Zone if an installation does not have NTP servers.  Network Time Protocol (NTP) Setup Sentry synchronizes its internal clock with external time servers to insure a high degree of accuracy. Specify the fully qualified domain name or IP address of at least one NTP server. ...

  • Page 277: Set The Locale

    Sentry User Manual Set the Locale The Locale determines what character set will be used in the text of Sentry. For example: Western or Chinese Traditional. Figure 333: Locale tab Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 278: Maintenance Mode

    Sentry User Manual Maintenance Mode The Maintenance tab allows you to schedule times where the Sentry will not send any email or SNMP notifications. Storage of alerts for Alert History and Alert Analysis reporting will be retained during these periods, but no notifications will be sent.

  • Page 279: Ssl Settings

    Sentry User Manual SSL Settings SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) ensures that all data passed between the Sentry web application and browsers is encrypted and secure. The SSL tab allows you to configure your Sentry to be SSL enabled. All units in a Sentry cluster (Sentry, Medius, Consul) must have the same SSL configuration for communication between all units to work.
  • Page 280 Sentry User Manual Sentry uses a self-signed certificate. Although all data between the web applications and the browser are secure and encrypted, the certificates are not verified by a trusted certificate authority. Signed certificates are domain- name based and generally serve the purpose of ensuring a consumer can trust a public web site. These concerns do not apply to employees using an application in a corporate intranet.

  • Page 281: System Diagnostics

    Sentry User Manual System Diagnostics System Diagnostics allows you to perform basic tests for connectivity and communications between Sentry and other devices. Email Diagnostics • Sent: Send a test email • View Email Log: View the email servers log file •...

  • Page 282: System Communication

    Sentry User Manual Figure 337: Network Connectivity tab System Communication Validates that the communication between Sentry and Medius is working. Figure 338: System Communications tab SNMP Trap Sends a test SNMP trap to verify the SNMP host on the System Settings page.

  • Page 283: Health Check

    This takes several minutes to generate, so click Run Health Check Now, which will change the Last Successful Execution time to “In Progress”. When this is done you can download the file to send to Tektronix VNM Technical Support. This is an encrypted file, so your system information is secure.

  • Page 284: Configure Import/Export Settings

    The Export and Import tabs allow you select whether you are importing your settings from one Sentry to another, or exporting the settings from one unit to another Sentry.
  • Page 285 Sentry User Manual  Export Tab You may choose to export in one of two ways: in XML or CSV. There are various reasons to choose each.  XML pros • Allows for more control in set up by users.

  • Page 286: Export Tab Options

    Sentry User Manual Export tab options 1. From the main menu, select Configure and then Import/Export Settings. 2. Select either the CVS or XML format 3. Select the desired fields for the export. 4. Add comments to the Comment field if desired.
  • Page 287 Sentry User Manual Figure 342: Export in progress 7. You will then receive the Export Complete notice. You will automatically be prompted by your system to download the configuration file. Figure 343: Export Complete 8. Select Save File and note the location for later retrieval.

  • Page 288: Import Tab Options

    Sentry User Manual Import tab options 1. Select the Import tab. Figure 345: Import options 2. Upload the imported settings 3. Browse for file location for either the XML settings (top) or the CSV file (bottom). 4. Complete the validation check on file 5.

  • Page 289: Configure Users

    Sentry User Manual Configure Users Sentry supports any number of users. Users are defined by two categories of privileges: Administrator and Regular User. An Administrator can make configuration changes while a Regular User cannot. An Administrator must therefore create all user accounts.
  • Page 290 3. Any information that is highlighted in red is required. Figure 347: Add User Page CAUTION: All Administrator passwords must be kept in a secure location. If you forget your Administrator password, contact Tektronix Customer Support. Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 291: Delete A User

    To delete a user select Delete located to the right of a user. You will be presented with a confirmation dialog and, if confirmed, Sentry will remove the user from the system. Once users are deleted, there is no recovery.

  • Page 292: Modify A User

    Sentry User Manual Modify a User To modify a user, select the Username link. Figure 350: Select a Username This action displays the Update User page to allow you to change the user information. Once you make changes, click Update User to save the changes.

  • Page 293: Configure System Upgrades

    If your support contract is current, you can perform a Sentry system upgrade. To get started, you must first obtain an upgrade package from Tektronix. Please call your Tektronix Service Representative for more details.
  • Page 294 5. Next, click Upload Package to upload the upgrade package file to Sentry. 6. Sentry will perform an automatic check to make sure this is a valid upgrade for the system. Once it has been validated, the following screen will appear: Figure 354: Upgrade Sentry button 7.
  • Page 295 9. The next screen will warn you that during a Sentry system upgrade, all monitoring will be suspended and users will not be able to access the Sentry pages. If you wish to continue with the upgrade, click Yes, Upgrade Sentry.

  • Page 296: Upgrade Errors

    Error Requiring a Patch If the error is not a recoverable error, it will require a patch from Tektronix to resolve. At this point, you must provide your Tektronix support representative with the upgrade log file. After diagnosing the problem, Tektronix will provide you with an upgrade patch file.

  • Page 297: Uploading The Error Patch File

    1. To upload the patch file click Browse and select the file. 2. Next, click Upload. 3. If this is a valid patch for this Sentry at this time, you can click Apply Patch to apply the patch and resume the upgrade.

  • Page 298: Configure Power Off And Restart Capability

    A Restart or Power Off may make it difficult to troubleshoot the cause of any issues later on as log information has the potential to be permanently lost. WARNING: When moving a Sentry, it is very important to properly power off the Sentry via the web interface.

  • Page 299: Restart A Unit

    Sentry User Manual Restart a unit In the unlikely event that the Sentry is not behaving as expected, as last resort, you may attempt a Restart. 1. Select Restart. 2. Select Submit. The next screen will show a conformation. Figure 361: Restarting a unit remotely 3.
  • Page 300 Sentry User Manual Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 301: Status

    Sentry User Manual Status The Status page shows the overall status of Sentry and consist of the following:  System Status Shows general information on the System such as Engine, NTP and Database percentage used. Sentry will delete from the database any information older than 92 days.

  • Page 302: Asi Status Page

    Figure 364: Status Page (Four-port ASI Sentry) System Status for Sentry with Second MPEG Input Option Installed If the Sentry has two network interfaces for MPEG monitoring, the System Status page will show an additional line referring to it in the Device Status section.

  • Page 303: About

    Sentry User Manual About The About page shows the Sentry engine and database version numbers of the current release, and directs you to technical assistance if needed. Figure 366: About Sentry Sentry User Manual March 2017...
  • Page 304 Sentry User Manual Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 305: Appendix A: Sentry Abr

    ABR video service monitoring. Sentry ABR has a licensable option to decode the HTTP content. If Sentry ABR has this license, all of the MPEG related reports will be available (like program status, program detail, etc..). Otherwise, those pages will not be accessible.

  • Page 306: Create A Manifest Alert

    Sentry User Manual Create a Manifest Alert 1. Select Configure and then Alerts from the main menu. 2. Select the ABR tab. 3. From the Manifest Alerts list, select Create. Figure 367: Alerts Summary Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 307: Sentry User Manual March

    Sentry User Manual 4. Step : Select the Alert Type. 5. Step : Choose the input manifest. 6. Step : Select the desired notification settings. Figure 368: ABR Manifest Alerts template 7. Select Save Alert when complete. Sentry User Manual...

  • Page 308: Representation Alerts

    Sentry User Manual Representation Alerts Representation Alerts Definitions • Fragment load time The time it took to load a media fragment • Fragment load latency The time between when an HTTP request was made and when we first started to receive the fragment •...

  • Page 309: Create Representation Alerts

    Sentry User Manual Create Representation Alerts 1. Select Configure and then Alerts from the main menu. 2. Select the ABR tab. 3. From the Representation Alerts list, select Create. Figure 369: ABR Representation Alerts template 4. Step : Select the Alert Type 5.
  • Page 310 Sentry User Manual Figure 370: ABR Representation Alerts template 7. Select Save Alert when complete. Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 311: Dynamic Program Groups

    Sentry User Manual Dynamic Program Groups Dynamic Program Groups allow you to define a program group based on dynamic program attributes, instead of just listing the program numbers. Example You can define a Dynamic Program Group for each program where the Manifest Profile Index = 1. Such a program group can be used for alerting and/or reporting.
  • Page 312 Sentry User Manual Filters are used to define the Dynamic Program Group. Figure 372: Filters for Dynamic Program Groups Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 313: Creating A Static Program Group From Dynamic

    Sentry User Manual Creating a Static Program Group from Dynamic To create a static program group from the current preview results of your dynamic program group, click the icon in the Create Static Group column. This will pop up the following: A preview of the current programs in that Dynamic Group will appear.

  • Page 314: Configure Mpeg Input Settings

    1. Select Configure and then MPEG Input Settings from the main menu. 2. Enter the IP address, Netmask, and Gateway of the MPEG monitoring port that will receive the ABR traffic. The administrator will also need to specify the maximum bandwidth (Mbps) that Sentry ABR may simultaneously request.
  • Page 315 Sentry User Manual Figure 373: MPEG Input Settings page Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 316: Reports

    Sentry User Manual Reports Program Statistics: ABR Stats For more information on Program Statistics, please refer to that section of this manual. Figure 374: Program Statistics Summary ta Create/Edit tab Click the Create/Edit tab to create a Program Statistics report using ABR information.
  • Page 317 Sentry User Manual Sentry ABR will return the following data: • Port Number The port is the same one as defined MPEG Input Settings page • Port Name The Media Set name as defined in the MPEG Input Configuration page •...

  • Page 318: History Tab

    Sentry User Manual Figure 376: Options for Select Statistics to Include History tab View the report history for a selected time period or range. Figure 377: History tab Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 319: Port Statistics

    Sentry User Manual Port Statistics Port Statisitics provides non-alert data on a port level that allows you to see ABR information on the transport bitrate and other releveant ABR statistics. Summary tab The Summary tab shows the list of Public and Private saved reports.

  • Page 320: Create A Port Statistics Report

    Sentry User Manual Create a Port Statistics Report 8. Select the Create/Edit tab. 9. Choose date/time frame for your report. 10. Select Statistics. Figure 379: Setting the date or time range 11. Choose any Statisitics you to include. 12. Select Accept.
  • Page 321 Sentry User Manual 14. Select Generate Report. Figure 381: Generate the report Figure 382: Port Statisitics displayed • Port Number The port is the same one as defined MPEG Input Settings page • Port Name This is the same as the Media Set name name as defined in the MPEG Input Configuration page •...
  • Page 322 Sentry User Manual • HTTP Counts Counts of the number of HTTP return codes. Columns exist for 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 and Other counts. Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 323: Media Set Status Report

    Sentry User Manual Media Set Status Report The Media Set Status report shows the overall health of the monitored content. The Media Set shows you the number of Representations that are present for each Manifest File. • Representation A version of the same content at a different resolution or bit rate •...
  • Page 324 Sentry User Manual When the report first loads, you will see the following set of information: • Port Number The port is the same one as defined MPEG Input Settings page • Media Set name The name is set in the MPEG Input page.

  • Page 325: Media Set Details

    Select the bar to update the HTTP Status code graph which will indicate the specific status code error. Representations Statistics Representation Statistics provides numeric account of all the statistics Sentry ABR is tracking for all of the representations in the media set. It then charts the following set of information in tabular form and allows you to graph the following statistics: •...

  • Page 326: Fragment Load Headroom

    Sentry User Manual • Fragment Headroom • Fragment load time • Fragment Load Latency • Report Load Bitrate • Fragment Size Figure 386: Representations Statistics Fragment Load Headroom Fragment Load Headroom allows for a safety margin in the fragment request timeline. It is the fragment duration minus the fragment load time and shows the Min/Avg/Max headroom in seconds.

  • Page 327: Fragment Load Time

    Sentry User Manual Fragment Load Time Fragment Load Time is the time measured between when the HTTP header for a fragment is detected and when enough bytes have been received to equal the fragment size. It shows the Min/Avg/Max of the loadtime in milliseconds.

  • Page 328: Fragment Load Bitrate

    Sentry User Manual Fragment Load Bitrate Fragment Load Bitrate is the fragment size / fragment load time shows the Min/Avg/Max bitrate in Kbps or Mbps. Figure 390: Fragment Load Bitrate and graph drill down Fragment Size Fragment Size shows the Min/Avg/Max size in Kilobytes or Megabytes.

  • Page 329: System Status

    Sentry User Manual System Status The System Status report gives you an overview of each inbound rate port overall information. Select Status from the main menu. Figure 392: System Status screen • Origin Servers Provides a list of the servers being monitored,the Current Bitrate (the sume of the Current Bitrate for all the Media Sets on that server) and the Bandwitdth Limit.
  • Page 330 Sentry User Manual Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 331: Appendix B: Sentry Edge, Edge Ii, Edge Iii-S, And Edge Iii-T

    Video Quality Monitor describes how to configure, control, and use the product. This user manual is intended for service providers who use Tektronix Sentry for monitoring, historical reporting, and alerting from MPEG-2, H.264 AVC, MPEG-4 part 10, and VC-1 transport streams. It is assumed that you understand the concepts and tools used in a head-end environment.

  • Page 332: Getting Started

    Sentry Edge II takes RF monitoring to the next level with monitoring density of 4 or 8 tuners per unit. More tuners per unit reduce the time to round robin, so RF issues can be identified sooner. Customers can round robin or park on any of the tuners, or chose any combination of these options.
  • Page 333 Sentry User Manual Figure 394: Sentry monitoring network diagram Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 334: Sentry Edge Rf Monitoring Products

    Edge II: Single Input 4 Tuner or Dual Input 8 Tuner QAM A/B/C  Edge III-S: Dual Satellite DVB-S/S2  Edge III-T: Single Input Dual Tuner DVB-T/T2 Sentry Edge Family Features and benefits  Remote management of RF measurement collection  Proactively detect RF issues before they impact subscribers ...

  • Page 335: Sentry Edge Ii Features And Benefits

    Sentry User Manual Sentry Edge II Features and benefits  High-density solution: 2 RF inputs with 8 parallel QAM tuners or 1 RF input with 4 tuners  Analyzer-quality QAM RF Measuring Capability. RF Measurements include: • RF Lock Indication (including LED on rear panel) •...

  • Page 336: Standard And Optional Accessories

    Standard and optional accessories You should receive the following accessories with your instrument: Item Tektronix part Description Sentry Series Installation and 071-3007-xx Describes how to install the product and Safety Instructions provides important safety precautions to avoid injury and prevent damage to this...

  • Page 337: Configuration

    Sentry Series Video Quality Monitor User Manual or the Medius Application Manager User Manual. 8. Add the Sentry Edge, Edge II or Edge III instrument to Medius, if one is available. Instructions are located in Configure: Add Sentrys of the Medius Application Manager User Manual.

  • Page 338: Configure The Rf Stats Alerts

    Configure the RF Stats Alerts Configuring alerts in Sentry Edge works much like the process in Sentry. Additionally, you may configure RF Stats Alerts to alert you when the selected RF statistic (for example, CNR, MER, or EVM) goes above or below a certain value.

  • Page 339: Configure The Mpeg Settings

    Configure the MPEG settings Sentry Edge and Edge II offer 2 RF inputs with 8 parallel QAM tuners or 1 RF input with 4 tuners. Sentry Edge III-S has two inputs and two tuners, whereas Sentry EdgeIII-T has a single input with a tuner. The tuners incorporate a round-robin approach to monitor all of the frequencies in the active configuration.

  • Page 340: Activate An Rf Input Connection

    2. Click Save RF Settings when finished. To define/edit import settings for an RF configuration. Note: Not available on Sentry Edge III-S and Sentry Edge III-T. The following steps are for working with an already existing RF configuration where you are changing the settings for the selected configuration.
  • Page 341 Sentry User Manual 2. On the resulting page, complete fields as necessary in the Import Settings section. Figure 400: RF Configuration Input screen  RF Configuration Name The unique name of the configuration being used.  Modulation The desired modulation type (64 QAM, 256 QAM, etc.).

  • Page 342: Filter Options

    The URL where the configuration is located. For use with a shared file server where there exists a preconfigured CSV file formatted with columns for input into the Sentry (Tuned Channel, Frequency, MPEG Source # or Source Name). Sentry Edge supports HTTP or FTP.

  • Page 343: Update The Schedule/Import Schedule Information

    Sentry User Manual Update the schedule/import schedule information 1. After you complete the Import Settings configuration, if you wish to schedule the import, select the checkbox for Schedule this RF Configuration. 2. Select the frequency to update the configuration from the Import Scheduling.

  • Page 344: Import A Configuration From A Csv File

    Sentry User Manual Import a configuration from a CSV file 1. Select Import Remote Configuration or select Import Local Configuration and fill in their respective fields. 2. Select the Import Now button from the RF Configuration Details page. 3. Select Help to view the guidelines for the file format.

  • Page 345: To Schedule An Import

    Sentry User Manual To schedule an import Scheduling an import will cause the import to look for the file and then change the configuration based on that systems failure. 1. Complete the field for Import Remote Configuration (URL). 2. Complete the Import Schedule Information section.

  • Page 346: View/Edit Rf Configuration Details

    Sentry User Manual View/edit RF configuration details 1. Click on any of the names in the RF Configuration list. Figure 405: RF input connection From the resulting page, you can change the Channel number, Frequency, Channel Name, Modulation, and Schedule for each individual RF frequency that you wish to monitor.

  • Page 347: Configure Port Names For A Channel

    Sentry User Manual Configure port names for a channel 1. You may change the port name from the MPEG Input Settings page at any time by clicking in the Port Name field and entering the desired name. 2. Select Save RF Settings when finished.

  • Page 348: Configure Schedule Summary

    Sentry User Manual Configure schedule summary The Schedule Summary page shows the schedule Type (Absolute/one-time, Daily, Weekly) and the Delete, Create schedule buttons. Figure 408: Schedule summary Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 349: Create A New Schedule

    Sentry User Manual Create a new schedule. You can use the schedule you just defined with the MPEG Input Settings to set the RF monitoring schedules. 1. Select Create. Figure 409: Creating a new schedule 2. Select the Schedule Type (Daily, Weekly or Absolute/one time) from the drop-down menu.
  • Page 350 Sentry User Manual 3. Select Add Range. Figure 411: Daily time range Figure 412: Weekly time range Figure 413 Absolute time range 4. Fill in the required fields and select Add. 5. Add as many ranges as needed by repeating until done.

  • Page 351: Operating Basics

    Sentry Series Video Quality Monitor User Manual for further details. Current Status report The Current Status report for all Sentry Series instruments allows you to customize and view a grouping of ports/channels. For Sentry Edge, the terms Channel (Ch#) and Port are interchangeable.

  • Page 352: Program Detail Report : Tuning Information

    Sentry User Manual Program Detail report : Tuning information  Avg Length Average tuning length.  Avg Time Between The average time between tuning.  Last Tuned in Period The last time the channel was monitored Figure 416: Tuning information...

  • Page 353: Program Graph Options

    Bitrate graphs will always be present. Other graphs may not be available depending on chosen module license and data availability. Green areas on the graph indicate where Sentry Edge was tuned and monitoring. Figure 417: Bitrate graphs with green lines ...

  • Page 354: Rf Stats

    Sentry User Manual RF Stats RF Stats allows you to create a summary report of each of the monitored RF statistics for each monitored RF Channel/Frequency. From this report, you may then generate graphs on each of these statistics for visual trend analysis.

  • Page 355: Constellation Diagram

    Sentry User Manual Constellation Diagram Note: Not available for Sentry Edge and Sentry Edge III-T. A Constellation Diagram is a representation of a signal modulated by quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). This diagram displays the signal as a two-dimensional scatter diagram and can be used to recognize the type of interference and distortion in a signal.
  • Page 356 Sentry User Manual Figure 420: The resulting constellation diagram Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 357: Frequency Domain Graphs

    Sentry User Manual Frequency Domain Graphs Frequency Domain Graphs allows you to graph the ranges of each of the statistics for all of the frequencies at once. Select Frequency Domain Graphs from the Reports menu. Figure 421: Frequency Domain page 1.
  • Page 358 Sentry User Manual 3. Select the RF statistics you want to graph. In this case, CNR was already selected and Signal Strength and EVM were added. NOTE: If you select to graph Signal Strength, select dBmV, dBm, or dBuV. 4. Select Accept.
  • Page 359 Sentry User Manual 7. Generate Graph will produce the following: Figure 424: Frequency Domain graphs NOTE: The Scale Graph option allows you to zoom in for a higher resolution view on the vertical scale of the graph. Sentry User Manual...

  • Page 360: Status

    Sentry User Manual Status Figure 425: System Status overview  Tuner status Tuner Status is specific to the RF Tuning. It displays the current state of each tuner and allows you to park one of the tuners on a specific frequency. You also have the option to park both of the tuners on a specific frequency, as long as they are not both on the same frequency.

  • Page 361: Park A Tuner For A Set Amount Of Time

    Sentry User Manual Park a tuner for a set amount of time 1. Select Park for the tuner you wish to park. Figure 426: Selecting a tuner to park 2. You will see the following confirmation message: Figure 427: Selecting the Park For option...
  • Page 362 Sentry User Manual Figure 428: The parked tuner 3. Select the Channel you wish to park. 4. Select the amount of time you wish to park the tuner for or select the date and time you wish to park the tuner until.

  • Page 363: To Park A Tuner (Alternate Method)

    Sentry User Manual To park a tuner (alternate method) There are several ways to access the System Status page to park a tuner. Here is another option: 1. From the Program Detail screen, click Additional reports focusing on this port to access the drop-down menu.

  • Page 364: To Park A Tuner For A Set Amount Of Time

    Sentry User Manual To park a tuner for a set amount of time: 1. Select Park Until. 2. Select the date you wish the park to end. 3. From the Program Detail screen, select the up arrow button to access the drop-down menu.

  • Page 365: Appendix C: Acronyms

    Sentry User Manual Appendix C: Acronyms The following table contains an overview of acronyms that relate to cable network operations. Items in this list are referenced in this document. ANSI American National Standards Institute ANSI/SCTE 20 Method for Carriage of Closed Captions and Non-Real Time Sampled Video...
  • Page 366 Sentry User Manual NTSC National Television Systems Committee Network Time Protocol Program Association Table Program Clock Reference Packetized Elementary Stream Packet Identifier Program Map Table Program Specific Information PSIP Program and System Information Protocol Personal Video Recorder Quadrature Amplitude Modulation...

  • Page 367: Appendix D: Examples

    Sentry User Manual Appendix D: Examples Sentry allows you to address the following types of problems: You want to find out if ad cue messages are reaching the ad splicer and if they have the correct times in them. Start Select Reports: Ad Cue Info Select time range.
  • Page 368 Sentry User Manual There is a new channel being launched and no video is being displayed. You need to find out if it is a table problem or an encoding or provider problem. Start Select Reports: Program Status Select Sort by: Program.
  • Page 369 Sentry User Manual Closed captioning is not working on a certain channel. You need to find out if it is or is not present. Start Select Reports: Program Status Select Sort by: Program. Select time range from Current View: (1 minute to 2 months).
  • Page 370 Sentry User Manual Sentry User Manual March 2017...

  • Page 371: Notices

    Sentry User Manual Notices Trademarks Scientific-Atlanta, Scientific-Atlanta ARCS logo, and EXPLORER are registered trademarks of Scientific- Atlanta, Inc. PowerKEY, DNCS, BFS, VCR Commander, and Tape ‘N View are trademarks of Scientific- Atlanta, Inc. All other trademarks listed herein are the property of their respective owners.

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