Adding Authentication To Soundstructure Systems; Soundstructure Authentication Overview; Soundstructure System Requirements - Polycom SoundStructure C16 Design Manual

Adding Authentication to
SoundStructure Systems
In this chapter you will learn how to add authentication to SoundStructure system to prevent unauthorized
access to SoundStructure systems. The SoundStructure authentication system allows you to add an
administrator password to a SoundStructure system, change the password, and enable or disable
authentication for a SoundStructure system.

SoundStructure Authentication Overview

The SoundStructure authentication feature allow two operating modes of the SoundStructure system: open
and authenticated. The factory default setting is open.
Open systems do not require authentication before sending/receiving a configuration file or before
controlling the system using the SoundStructure API. On open systems, SoundStructure API commands are
sent over TCP on port 52774 as with all previous versions of SoundStructure software. By default
SoundStructure systems operate in an open mode.
Authenticated systems require password authentication before being able to control the SoundStructure
system over Ethernet, transfer configuration files, or update firmware. The password requirement prevents
unauthorized access to, and control of, a SoundStructure system on a network connection. On
authenticated systems, SoundStructure API commands are sent over TCP on port 52775 and once a
system is authenticated, TCP communication over port 52774 is disabled. There is no authentication
support on the RS-232 interface as the RS-232 interface always operates in an open mode.
When an authentication password is entered to the system, it is transmitted in clear text to the
SoundStructure system over the network connection. The authentication password is stored locally on the
SoundStructure system and is independent of the SoundStructure configuration file. Separating the
password from the configuration file allows you to create and share SoundStructure configuration files
without sharing the SoundStructure system password.

SoundStructure System Requirements

To use SoundStructure authentication, the following versions of software are required. To get the latest
software versions, visit SoundStructure Support to download the required versions of software for your
SoundStructure system.
SoundStructure Firmware version 1.6
This firmware version is fully compatible with configuration files created with earlier versions of
SoundStructure Studio.
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