Avid NEXIS Administration Guide V6.0 6.0 V6 AG EN

User Manual: NEXIS - 6.0 - Administration Guide User Guide for Avid NEXIS Software, Free Instruction Manual

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Avid® NEXIS™
Administration Guide
Version 6.0

Legal Notices
Product specifications are subject to change without notice and do not represent a commitment on the part of Avid Technology, Inc.
This product is subject to the terms and conditions of a software license agreement provided with the software. The product may only be used in accordance
with the license agreement.
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Part of the software embedded in this product is gSOAP software.
Portions created by gSOAP are Copyright (C) 2001-2004 Robert A. van Engelen, Genivia inc. All Rights Reserved.
THE SOFTWARE IN THIS PRODUCT WAS IN PART PROVIDED BY GENIVIA INC AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT
NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO
EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
(INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS
INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING
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DAMAGE.
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how to use the software. This document may not be reproduced or distributed, in whole or in part, for commercial purposes, such as selling copies of this
document or providing support or educational services to others. This document is supplied as a guide for Avid NEXIS. Reasonable care has been taken in
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does not accept responsibility of any kind for customers’ losses due to the use of this document. Product specifications are subject to change without notice.
Copyright © 2016 Avid Technology, Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved.

The following disclaimer is required by Sam Leffler and Silicon Graphics, Inc. for the use of their TIFF library:
Copyright © 1988–1997 Sam Leffler
Copyright © 1991–1997 Silicon Graphics, Inc.
Permission to use, copy, modify, distribute, and sell this software [i.e., the TIFF library] and its documentation for any purpose is hereby granted without fee,
provided that (i) the above copyright notices and this permission notice appear in all copies of the software and related documentation, and (ii) the names of
Sam Leffler and Silicon Graphics may not be used in any advertising or publicity relating to the software without the specific, prior written permission of Sam
Leffler and Silicon Graphics.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED “AS-IS” AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING WITHOUT
LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
IN NO EVENT SHALL SAM LEFFLER OR SILICON GRAPHICS BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL
DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, WHETHER OR NOT ADVISED
OF THE POSSIBILITY OF DAMAGE, AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR
PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.

The following disclaimer is required by the Independent JPEG Group:
This software is based in part on the work of the Independent JPEG Group.

This Software may contain components licensed under the following conditions:
Copyright (c) 1989 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Redistribution and use in source and binary forms are permitted provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph are duplicated in all such forms
and that any documentation, advertising materials, and other materials related to such distribution and use acknowledge that the software was developed by
the University of California, Berkeley. The name of the University may not be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software without
specific prior written permission. THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED ``AS IS'' AND WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING,
WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
Copyright (C) 1989, 1991 by Jef Poskanzer.
Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software and its documentation for any purpose and without fee is hereby granted, provided that the
above copyright notice appear in all copies and that both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in supporting documentation. This software
is provided " as is" without express or implied warranty.
Copyright 1995, Trinity College Computing Center. Written by David Chappell.
Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software and its documentation for any purpose and without fee is hereby granted, provided that the
above copyright notice appear in all copies and that both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in supporting documentation. This software
is provided " as is" without express or implied warranty.
Copyright 1996 Daniel Dardailler.
Permission to use, copy, modify, distribute, and sell this software for any purpose is hereby granted without fee, provided that the above copyright notice
appear in all copies and that both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in supporting documentation, and that the name of Daniel
Dardailler not be used in advertising or publicity pertaining to distribution of the software without specific, written prior permission. Daniel Dardailler makes
no representations about the suitability of this software for any purpose. It is provided " as is" without express or implied warranty.
Modifications Copyright 1999 Matt Koss, under the same license as above.
Copyright (c) 1991 by AT&T.
Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software for any purpose without fee is hereby granted, provided that this entire notice is included in all
copies of any software which is or includes a copy or modification of this software and in all copies of the supporting documentation for such software.

THIS SOFTWARE IS BEING PROVIDED " AS IS" , WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY. IN PARTICULAR, NEITHER THE AUTHOR NOR
AT&T MAKES ANY REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY OF ANY KIND CONCERNING THE MERCHANTABILITY OF THIS SOFTWARE OR ITS
FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
This product includes software developed by the University of California, Berkeley and its contributors.

The following disclaimer is required by Paradigm Matrix:
Portions of this software licensed from Paradigm Matrix.

The following disclaimer is required by Ray Sauers Associates, Inc.:
“Install-It” is licensed from Ray Sauers Associates, Inc. End-User is prohibited from taking any action to derive a source code equivalent of “Install-It,”
including by reverse assembly or reverse compilation, Ray Sauers Associates, Inc. shall in no event be liable for any damages resulting from reseller’s
failure to perform reseller’s obligation; or any damages arising from use or operation of reseller’s products or the software; or any other damages, including
but not limited to, incidental, direct, indirect, special or consequential Damages including lost profits, or damages resulting from loss of use or inability to use
reseller’s products or the software for any reason including copyright or patent infringement, or lost data, even if Ray Sauers Associates has been advised,
knew or should have known of the possibility of such damages.

The following disclaimer is required by Videomedia, Inc.:
“Videomedia, Inc. makes no warranties whatsoever, either express or implied, regarding this product, including warranties with respect to its merchantability
or its fitness for any particular purpose.”
“This software contains V-LAN ver. 3.0 Command Protocols which communicate with V-LAN ver. 3.0 products developed by Videomedia, Inc. and V-LAN
ver. 3.0 compatible products developed by third parties under license from Videomedia, Inc. Use of this software will allow “frame accurate” editing control of
applicable videotape recorder decks, videodisc recorders/players and the like.”

The following disclaimer is required by Altura Software, Inc. for the use of its Mac2Win software and Sample Source Code:
©1993–1998 Altura Software, Inc.

The following disclaimer is required by Interplay Entertainment Corp.:
The “Interplay” name is used with the permission of Interplay Entertainment Corp., which bears no responsibility for Avid products.
This product includes portions of the Alloy Look & Feel software from Incors GmbH.
This product includes software developed by the Apache Software Foundation (http://www.apache.org/).
© DevelopMentor

This product may include the JCifs library, for which the following notice applies:
JCifs © Copyright 2004, The JCIFS Project, is licensed under LGPL (http://jcifs.samba.org/). See the LGPL.txt file in the Third Party Software directory on
the installation CD.
Avid Interplay contains components licensed from LavanTech. These components may only be used as part of and in connection with Avid Interplay.

Attn. Government User(s). Restricted Rights Legend
U.S. GOVERNMENT RESTRICTED RIGHTS. This Software and its documentation are “commercial computer software” or “commercial computer software
documentation.” In the event that such Software or documentation is acquired by or on behalf of a unit or agency of the U.S. Government, all rights with
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Trademarks
003, 192 Digital I/O, 192 I/O, 96 I/O, 96i I/O, Adrenaline, AirSpeed, ALEX, Alienbrain, AME, AniMatte, Archive, Archive II, Assistant Station, AudioPages,
AudioStation, AutoLoop, AutoSync, Avid, Avid Active, Avid Advanced Response, Avid DNA, Avid DNxcel, Avid DNxHD, Avid DS Assist Station, Avid Ignite,
Avid Liquid, Avid Media Engine, Avid Media Processor, Avid MEDIArray, Avid Mojo, Avid Remote Response, Avid Unity, Avid Unity ISIS, Avid VideoRAID,
AvidRAID, AvidShare, AVIDstripe, AVX, Beat Detective, Beauty Without The Bandwidth, Beyond Reality, BF Essentials, Bomb Factory, Bruno, C|24,
CaptureManager, ChromaCurve, ChromaWheel, Cineractive Engine, Cineractive Player, Cineractive Viewer, Color Conductor, Command|24, Command|8,
Control|24, Cosmonaut Voice, CountDown, d2, d3, DAE, D-Command, D-Control, Deko, DekoCast, D-Fi, D-fx, Digi 002, Digi 003, DigiBase, Digidesign,
Digidesign Audio Engine, Digidesign Development Partners, Digidesign Intelligent Noise Reduction, Digidesign TDM Bus, DigiLink, DigiMeter, DigiPanner,
DigiProNet, DigiRack, DigiSerial, DigiSnake, DigiSystem, Digital Choreography, Digital Nonlinear Accelerator, DigiTest, DigiTranslator, DigiWear, DINR,
DNxchange, Do More, DPP-1, D-Show, DSP Manager, DS-StorageCalc, DV Toolkit, DVD Complete, D-Verb, Eleven, EM, Euphonix, EUCON, EveryPhase,
Expander, ExpertRender, Fader Pack, Fairchild, FastBreak, Fast Track, Film Cutter, FilmScribe, Flexevent, FluidMotion, Frame Chase, FXDeko, HD Core,
HD Process, HDpack, Home-to-Hollywood, HYBRID, HyperSPACE, HyperSPACE HDCAM, iKnowledge, Image Independence, Impact, Improv, iNEWS,
iNEWS Assign, iNEWS ControlAir, InGame, Instantwrite, Instinct, Intelligent Content Management, Intelligent Digital Actor Technology, IntelliRender, IntelliSat, Intelli-sat Broadcasting Recording Manager, InterFX, Interplay, inTONE, Intraframe, iS Expander, iS9, iS18, iS23, iS36, ISIS, IsoSync, LaunchPad,
LeaderPlus, LFX, Lightning, Link & Sync, ListSync, LKT-200, Lo-Fi, MachineControl, Magic Mask, Make Anything Hollywood, make manage move | media,
Marquee, MassivePack, Massive Pack Pro, Maxim, Mbox, Media Composer, MediaFlow, MediaLog, MediaMix, Media Reader, Media Recorder, MEDIArray,
MediaServer, MediaShare, MetaFuze, MetaSync, MIDI I/O, Mix Rack, Moviestar, MultiShell, NaturalMatch, NewsCutter, NewsView, NewsVision, Nitris,
NL3D, NLP, NSDOS, NSWIN, OMF, OMF Interchange, OMM, OnDVD, Open Media Framework, Open Media Management, Painterly Effects, Palladium,
Personal Q, PET, Podcast Factory, PowerSwap, PRE, ProControl, ProEncode, Profiler, Pro Tools, Pro Tools|HD, Pro Tools LE, Pro Tools M-Powered, Pro
Transfer, QuickPunch, QuietDrive, Realtime Motion Synthesis, Recti-Fi, Reel Tape Delay, Reel Tape Flanger, Reel Tape Saturation, Reprise, Res Rocket
Surfer, Reso, RetroLoop, Reverb One, ReVibe, Revolution, rS9, rS18, RTAS, Salesview, Sci-Fi, Scorch, ScriptSync, SecureProductionEnvironment,
Serv|GT, Serv|LT, Shape-to-Shape, ShuttleCase, Sibelius, SimulPlay, SimulRecord, Slightly Rude Compressor, Smack!, Soft SampleCell, Soft-Clip Limiter,
SoundReplacer, SPACE, SPACEShift, SpectraGraph, SpectraMatte, SteadyGlide, Streamfactory, Streamgenie, StreamRAID, SubCap, Sundance,
Sundance Digital, SurroundScope, Symphony, SYNC HD, SYNC I/O, Synchronic, SynchroScope, Syntax, TDM FlexCable, TechFlix, Tel-Ray, Thunder,
TimeLiner, Titansync, Titan, TL Aggro, TL AutoPan, TL Drum Rehab, TL Everyphase, TL Fauxlder, TL In Tune, TL MasterMeter, TL Metro, TL Space, TL
Utilities, tools for storytellers, Transit, TransJammer, Trillium Lane Labs, TruTouch, UnityRAID, Vari-Fi, Video the Web Way, VideoRAID, VideoSPACE, VTEM,
Work-N-Play, Xdeck, X-Form, Xmon and XPAND! are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. in the United States and/or other
countries.

iii

Apple, Macintosh, and Safari are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. HP is a
registered trademark of Hewlett-Packard Company. Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation. Java is a trademark of Sun Microsystems in the
United States and/or other countries. Kingston is a registered trademarks of Kingston Technology Corporation. All other marks may be the property of their
respective titleholders. Windows is either a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other
trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

Avid NEXIS Administration Guide • Created 5/13/16 • This document is distributed by Avid in online (electronic) form only, and is not
available for purchase in printed form.

Contents
Using This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Who Should Use This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Symbols and Conventions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
If You Need Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Accessing the Online Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Avid Training Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Chapter 1

Configuring the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Creating the Avid NEXIS File System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Binding the Media Packs to the File System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Configuring External Authentication of Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Receiving Notification of System Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Configuring the Notification Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Filtering the Error Notification Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Adding Contact and Email Address Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Changing the Administrator Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Securing an Avid NEXIS Infrastructure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Changing the BMC Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Chapter 2

Working with the Management Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Opening the Management Console. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Understanding the Management Console Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
System Status Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
System Status Console Panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Navigation Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Main Tools Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Accessing Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Session Counter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Customizing the Management Console Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Moving Columns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Showing and Hiding Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Sorting Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Filtering the Display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Updating the Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Selecting Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Using Context Menus to Perform Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Guidelines for Names and Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Management Console Preferences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Configuring Management Console Preferences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Configuring the Agent Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Chapter 3

Managing Storage Groups and Workspaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Managing Storage Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Storage Groups List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Creating a Storage Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Adding Unassigned Media Packs to Storage Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Removing Media Packs from Storage Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Moving Media Packs Between Storage Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Displaying Storage Group and Media Pack Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Deleting Storage Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Managing Workspaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Workspaces List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Displaying Workspace Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Workspace Considerations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Workspace Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Creating a Workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Duplicating a Workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Renaming a Workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Resizing a Workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Using the Workspace Size Graph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Setting Event Triggers for a Workspace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Deleting a Workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Managing User Access Privileges for Workspaces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Setting or Changing Workspace Access Privileges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Workspace Redistribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
About Configuration Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Redistribution Guidelines and Reference Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Performing a Full Redistribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Suspending and Resuming Redistribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Monitoring Redistributions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Redistribution Status Definitions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Chapter 4

Managing Clients. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Managing Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Users List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
User Details Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Creating Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Duplicating Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
vi

Changing User Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Deleting Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Disabling Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Displaying User Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Managing LDAP Accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Installing the LDAP Sync Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Opening the LDAP Sync Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Using the LDAP Sync Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Changing the Account Synchronizer Display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Synchronizing LDAP and Avid NEXIS Accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Importing LDAP Users with Incorrectly Formatted LDAP UIDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Disconnecting and Reconnecting the LDAP Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Managing Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Adding User Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Modifying User Group Details. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Deleting User Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Displaying User Group Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Managing Bandwidth Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Bandwidth Limits Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Displaying Bandwidth Limits Details. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Adding a Bandwidth Limit Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Changing a Bandwidth Limit Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Deleting a Bandwidth Limit Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Chapter 5

Managing Avid NEXIS Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Managing Engines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Engine List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Displaying Engine Details. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Engine and Storage Controller Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Upgrading an Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Removing Engines from the Engine List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Managing Storage Controllers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Storage Controllers List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Storage Controller Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Upgrading a Storage Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Managing Media Packs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Media Packs List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Displaying Media Pack Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Media Pack Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Displaying Drive Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Disk Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
vii

Foreign Disk Error . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Unbinding Media Packs from the Avid NEXIS File System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Clearing Network Degraded Status Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Removing Orphaned Media Packs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Cleaning Up Files (Manually Rectifying Files) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Chapter 6

Managing Connections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Monitoring System Connection Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Connection Status Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Monitoring Client Bandwidth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Client Bandwidth List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Scaling the Bandwidth List Graph Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Chapter 7

System Monitoring and Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Hardware Monitoring Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Displaying System Status History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Testing the Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Displaying System Director Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Displaying System Logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Displaying or Clearing the System Logs Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Displaying Administration Logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Using the Administration Logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Capturing System Information (Avid NEXIS Snapshots). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Creating, Displaying, and Deleting Snapshots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Working with Snapshot Archives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Avid NEXIS Toolbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Installing the Avid NEXIS Toolbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Opening the Avid NEXIS Toolbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Connection Analyzer Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Log Aggregator Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Using the Log Aggregator Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Displaying Aggregate Logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Disk Analyzer Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Running Tests with the Disk Analyzer Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Updating the Disk Analyzer Tool Display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Saving Disk Analyzer Test Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Media Pack Parameters Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Using the Media Pack Parameters Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Retrieving Media Pack Flag Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Media Pack Log Viewer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Creating a Metadata Dump File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Restoring the File System (Support Use Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
viii

Chapter 8

Avid NEXIS Agent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Opening the Avid NEXIS Agent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Understanding the Agent Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
System Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Statistics Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Tools Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Logging Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Advanced Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Changing the Storage System Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Changing the Hostname of the Storage Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Changing the Enclosure ID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Configuring DNS Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Setting the System Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Changing the Agent Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Shutting Down the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Restarting the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Rerunning the Setup Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Using This Guide
The Avid® NEXIS™ software-defined storage system provides a high-performance distributed file system that
contains high-capacity shared media storage for workgroups of connected devices. This user’s guide describes
how to connect your client system to the storage system, mount Workspaces, and configure your system for best
performance.
Unless noted otherwise, the material in this document applies to the Windows®, Mac OS® X, and Linux operating
systems.The majority of screen shots in this document were captured on a Windows system, but the information
applies to all operating systems. Where differences exist, information on the differences is provided.
The documentation describes the features and hardware of all models. Your system might not contain certain
features and hardware that are covered in this guide.

Who Should Use This Guide
This guide is intended for users who need to manage the Avid NEXIS media network. You should have a basic
understanding of how to use and manage the Windows operating system or the Mac OS X systems, and you
should be familiar with basic workgroup and network concepts.

Symbols and Conventions
Avid documentation uses the following symbols and conventions:
Symbol or Convention

Meaning or Action

A note provides important related information, reminders, recommendations, and strong
suggestions.

A caution means that a specific action you take could cause harm to your computer or cause
you to lose data.

A warning describes an action that could cause you physical harm. Follow the guidelines in
this document or on the unit itself when handling electrical equipment.

This symbol indicates menu commands (and subcommands) in the order you select them. For
example, File > Import means to open the File menu and then select the Import command.
This symbol indicates a single-step procedure. Multiple arrows in a list indicate that you
perform one of the actions listed.

(Windows), (Macintosh), or
(Linux)

This text indicates that the information applies only to the specified operating system, either
Windows, Macintosh OS X, or Linux.

Bold font

Bold font is primarily used in task instructions to identify user interface items and keyboard
sequences.

Italic font

Italic font is used to emphasize certain words and to indicate variables.

Courier Bold font

Courier Bold font identifies text that you type.

Symbol or Convention

Meaning or Action

Ctrl+key or mouse action

Press and hold the first key while you press the last key or perform the mouse action. For
example, Command+Option+C or Ctrl+drag.

If You Need Help
If you are having trouble using your Avid product:
1. Retry the action, carefully following the instructions given for that task in this guide. It is especially important
to check each step of your workflow.
2. Check the latest information that might have become available after the documentation was published.
Always check online for the most up-to-date release notes or ReadMe because the online version is
updated whenever new information becomes available. To view the online versions, visit the Knowledge
Base at www.avid.com/support.
3. Check the documentation that came with your Avid application or your hardware for maintenance or
hardware-related issues.
4. Visit the online Knowledge Base at www.avid.com/support. Online services are available 24 hours per day, 7
days per week. Search this online Knowledge Base to find answers, to view error messages, to access
troubleshooting tips, to download upgrades, and to read or join online message-board discussions.

Accessing the Online Documentation
The Avid online documentation contains all the product documentation in PDF format. You can access the
documentation from the Knowledge Base site specific to your release. Download and install Acrobat Reader
before you access the PDF documentation.

Avid Training Services
Avid makes lifelong learning, career advancement, and personal development easy and convenient. Avid
understands that the knowledge you need to differentiate yourself is always changing, and Avid continually
updates course content and offers new training delivery methods that accommodate your pressured and
competitive work environment.
For information on courses/schedules, training centers, certifications, courseware, and books, please visit
www.avid.com/support and follow the Training links, or call Avid Sales at 800-949-AVID (800-949-2843).

1 Configuring the System
This chapter takes over from the final step in the Avid NEXIS Setup and Maintenance Guide and provides more
detail for some of the steps in that guide.
To make the system fully usable to clients, do the following:
1. Create the Avid NEXIS file system
2. Bind Media Packs to the file system
3. Create one or more Storage Groups from the Media Packs
4. Create Workspaces within the Storage Group or Groups (see “Managing Storage Groups and Workspaces” on
page 27)
5. Create user or device accounts to allow clients to connect to the Avid NEXIS. You can create user accounts on
the Avid NEXIS itself, or configure an LDAP server to authenticate users.
6. Set up the notification service to send email to one or more accounts when a problem occurs.

Creating the Avid NEXIS File System
Creating a new file system is the first step to making the storage space usable after you install the Avid NEXIS
software on a new Engine. It permanently deletes any existing file system. All users, groups, Workspaces, Storage
Groups and other objects are permanently deleted; all Media Packs are unbound; and all other settings, such as
External Authentication and Notification Service, are cleared and must be reconfigured after the new file system
is created.
In addition, the Administrator password (if changed) reverts to the default (no password).
To create a new file system:

1. In the Management Console, click System Settings.
By default, the System Settings panel opens on the File System page.
2. Click Create Active File System.
3. Click Apply.
A confirmation screen appears, asking you to confirm the operation, which will destroy all existing data (if
any) on the Avid NEXIS system, and create a new file system.
Confirmation Message to Create New File System

4. Click OK to continue.
The Results panel displays progress messages. When the file system is created, you can bind the Media Packs,
create Storage Groups and Workspaces, create users, and configure external authentication and Event
Notification as required.

Binding the Media Packs to the File System
After you have created an active file system, bind the Media Packs to it. Media Packs for all Engines in the shared
storage system are shown on the Media Packs page.
To bind the Media Packs:

1. Click Media Packs in the Management Console.
2. Select one or more Media Packs in the list.
3. Click Bind.
4. Click Yes to confirm the request.
5. Click Refresh.
When the Media Packs are bound, the status icon turns green, and you can create Storage Groups. See
“Managing Storage Groups and Workspaces” on page 27.

Configuring External Authentication of Users
External authentication lets you add users to the Avid NEXIS system who are already configured as LDAP
accounts in your environment. When a remote LDAP user logs into the Avid NEXIS system, Avid NEXIS checks
with an external LDAP server instead of the local user database to authenticate the user. To enable LDAP users to
access the Avid NEXIS system, configure the Avid NEXIS to use one to three external LDAP servers for
authentication.
Configuring external authentication is optional, but recommended for large numbers of users. Otherwise you must
create each user account individually; see “Managing Clients” on page 48. You can use both external
authentication and accounts you create on the Avid NEXIS. The system supports up to 5640 user accounts.
To use external authentication using LDAP, enable DNS. Specifically, the Avid NEXIS must be able to look up the
LDAP server name and do a reverse lookup (resolving the IP address to a name, and vice versa). To enable DNS,
see “Configuring DNS Service” on page 105.
For more information on working with LDAP users and groups, see “Managing LDAP Accounts” on page 54.
To configure external authentication:

1. From the Management Console home page, click External Authentication.
The External Authentication tool opens.
2. Click the Enable check box to select it.
The Domain Name text box becomes active.
3. In the Domain Name text box, enter the domain name of the network to which the LDAP server belongs,
including subdomain, if applicable.

A domain name has two parts, separated by a period or dot: for example, avid.com. The company name “avid” is
the assigned domain, and “com” is the top level domain, or TLD. A subdomain is a smaller unit within the
company assigned domain, such as americas.avid.com.
Use the format subdomain.domain.tld; for example: americas.example.com
4. Click the check box to select Server 0.
The Address text box becomes active.
5. In the Address text box, enter the fully-qualified domain name of the LDAP server.

A fully qualified domain name (FQDN) consists of the hostname, subdomain name (if applicable), and the domain
name.
Use the format servername.subdomain.domain.tld; for example:
server1.americas.example.com

6. (Option) Repeat steps 3 – 5 (using the “Server 1” and “Server 2” check boxes) to configure additional backup
LDAP servers, if applicable.

All of the LDAP servers must be mirrors, and reside on the same subdomain/domain.
7. When finished, click Submit.
The domain and LDAP server information is added to the Avid NEXIS database, and a confirmation message
is displayed in the Results area.

Receiving Notification of System Problems
The Notification Service tool lets you configure the Avid NEXIS system to notify you through email when
problems occur. A service watches the system log and sends a concise summary of configured events to one or
more email accounts. Configuring notification is optional but strongly recommended.
The Notification Service tool window is divided into the following sections:
•

Configuration — Start and stop the Notification Service, and configure the Notification Service settings,
described in the following table.

Option

Type

Description

SMTP Server

text

The IP address or host name of your SMTP server.

SMTP Port

text (numeric)

The port number of your SMTP server. The default value (25) is appropriate
in most instances.

Poll Frequency (seconds)

text (numeric)

The frequency (in seconds) with which the notification service checks for
reportable events.

Email Address

text

The email address of the Avid NEXIS administrator or other primary contact
for the error notification service.

•

Filters — Set and change the parameters that define when email notifications are sent to email recipients.

•

Contacts — Add and change email recipients.

Configuring the Notification Service
To configure the Notification Service:

1. From the Management Console home page, click Notification Service, in the Advanced section.
The Notification Service tool opens.

2. Enter the IP address for your network’s SMTP (email) server.
3. Enter at least one email address that will receive the notifications.
4. (Option) To test the configuration settings, click Test.
The results of the service test are displayed in the Results area.
5. Click Save.
-

A confirmation message is displayed in the Results area.

If you started or stopped the Notification Service, the Service State will change to reflect the new service
state.

6. (Option) Click Reset.
The changes for the configuration will be reset to the previously saved values.

Filtering the Error Notification Parameters
The Filters area of the Notification Service tool allows you to specify the type of error message that triggers an
email notification and to set parameters for each type of error message—Error, Warning, and Information
messages.
You can configure the Avid NEXIS to send notification emails for one or more of the following subsystem
categories and the severity level that will trigger notification:
•

Server Control — Reports messages about internal operations, including problems saving metadata to disk

•

System Director — Reports messages about the Avid NEXIS file system, metadata, memory, system drives,
and the System Director IP address and networking

•

Avid NEXIS General — Reports messages about Workspaces (such as changing its size), password changes,
Media Packs, and network communication errors detected by an Avid NEXIS component

•

Storage Manager General — Reports messages about general Media Pack operations, such as initialization
and status changes

To configure error notification parameters:

1. From the Management Console home page, click Notification Service, in the Advanced section.
The Notification Service tool opens.
2. Click Filters.

3. Click the check boxes corresponding to the error notifications you want to include or exclude. (A checked box
includes that category, and a blank box excludes the category.)
4. Click Save.
The settings are saved, and a confirmation message is displayed in the Results area.

Adding Contact and Email Address Information
Enter contact information for all the people you want to receive notification emails. There is no enforced limit to
the number of contacts you can add.
To add contacts:

1. From the Management Console home page, click Notification Service, in the Advanced section.
The Notification Service tool opens.
2. Click Contacts.
3. Click New.
The Contact/Email field is displayed.
4. Type a user name into the first text box.
This can be any name you want to assign to the user; it does not have to be the same as the email account
name.
7

5. Type a valid email address into the second text box.
6. (Optional) Click New to add more email contacts.
7. Click Save.
To remove a contact:

1. Click Delete next to the email contact entry.
The contact is removed from the list.
2. Click Save.

Changing the Administrator Password
The Management Console Administrator password is blank by default. Avid highly recommends that you set an
Administrator password when you configure the Management Console for the first time.
See “Guidelines for Names and Passwords” on page 23 for valid password characters and the maximum length.
To change the Administrator password when you are already logged in:

1. From the Management Console home page, click Administrator Password, located in the Advanced section.
The Administrator Password tool opens.
2. Type the current Administrator password in the Current Password field (blank by default).
3. Type the new Administrator password in the New Password field.
4. Type the new Administrator password again in the Verify Password field.
5. Click Change.
-

The Administrator Password is changed to the new value.

A confirmation message appears in the Results area.

To change the Administrator password if you have forgotten it:

1. Open a browser and enter the IP address of the Avid NEXIS system.
The Management Console login page opens.
2. Log in using the user name Administrator and the Agent password (either se-admin by default or the
password you changed it to).
3. Follow the steps in the previous procedure (changing the password when you are already logged in).

Securing an Avid NEXIS Infrastructure
The Avid NEXIS system has several passwords:
•

The Administrator password, used when you log into the Management Console (by default, there is no
password). You can change this at any time in the Management Console.

•

The Agent password (by default, se-admin). This is also the password you use for initial system setup. You
can change this at any time in the Agent.

For convenience, you can log in to either the Management Console or the Agent using the password for the
other, in case you forget one.
•

The password for the BMC (Baseboard Management Controller), which is a low-level process on the Storage
Controller that manages the BIOS, MAC addresses, and other internal functions.
By default, the BMC password has been set at the factory to be the same as the default Agent password (seadmin), but this could be a security concern in some environments. If necessary, you can change the BMC
password.

Changing the BMC Password
If your lab environment or company requires it, you can change the BMC password to prevent unauthorized
access to the hardware.
To change the BMC password:

1. Connect a computer or laptop to the Management Port on the Storage Controller, as shown:

2. Open a browser window and go to the address: 169.254.10.250, which is the default IP address of the BMC
controller.
3. Log in using the user name root and the password se-admin.

4. In the BMC interface, click the Configuration tab.

5. Select Users from the pull-down menu.

6. Click Modify User.

7. Click the Change Password checkbox, enter a new password in the Password and Confirm Password
fields, then click Modify.

8. Click OK.

9. Log out of the BMC interface.

2 Working with the Management Console
The Management Console is the primary interface to the Avid NEXIS system and allows you to perform
administration functions.
When you access the Management Console, the Login page opens. Enter a user name and password to log in. If
you type the wrong password, an error message appears and the Login dialog box reappears.

Initially, the Administrator password is blank by default. To set an administrator password, see “Changing the
Administrator Password” on page 8.
Standard Avid NEXIS client users can log in to the Management Console, but will have limited access to the
Management Console interface. They can see certain information about the network through the Client Manager.
For more information about the Client Manager, see the Avid NEXIS Client Help.

Opening the Management Console
The Management Console runs within one of the following qualified web browsers:

•

Windows — Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox®, Google® Chrome™

•

OS X — Safari, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome

•

RedHat Linux — Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome

Performing administrative functions in more than one instance of the Management Console at the same
time can cause unexpected results.
To open the Management Console as Administrator:

1. Open your web browser and in the address bar enter either the:
t

System Director Name (if DNS is configured; see “Configuring DNS Service” on page 105)

IP address of the System Director. (This is the IP address of the Storage Controller running the System
Director; whether in a single- or multi-Engine configuration or in a System Director Appliance.)

The Login dialog box for the Management Console opens. The “Username” field is automatically populated
with the Administrator user name.
2. Type your password.
For information on changing the administrator password, see “Changing the Administrator Password” on
page 8.
3. Click Login (arrow icon), or press Enter.
The Management Console Home page opens.
To log out of the Management Console:

Click Logout in the upper right corner of the screen.

Understanding the Management Console Interface
The Management Console, which you can access on the Engine or on any Ethernet-attached client, has a user
interface where controls are grouped by function and are displayed by clicking the appropriate icons or text.
The Management Console requires Adobe® Flash® Player. Use the version included with the Avid NEXIS software
kit, or download and install a newer version if available.

Callout

Description

System Status Console — Provides a snapshot view of several aspects of the Avid NEXIS system. See “System
Status Console” on page 15.

Navigation toolbar — Access Management Console tools and navigation. See “Navigation Toolbar” on page 17.

Main tools panel — Click to go to the respective tool pages. See “Main Tools Panel” on page 17.

Help link — Provides pointers to the Avid NEXIS online documents. See “Accessing Help” on page 19.

Logout link — Ends the Management Console session and logs you out of the system.

System Identification — Displays the system model information, Storage System name, and version.

Session Counter — Displays how long the current session has been active. Counts down from 2 hours (2:00:00).
See “Session Counter” on page 19.

System Status Console
The System Status Console, located on the left side of the Management Console, contains several components that
give you a snapshot view of the system. These allow you to access additional information about your system and
to perform certain administrative tasks, such as monitoring and logging.

Administrators can configure whether or not the System Status Console is visible on the login screen of the
Management Console, but you must log in to follow links from the tool bar screens (such as the log files).
The following figure shows the panels of the System Status Console separated slightly for clarity.

Callout

Description

Current system status panel — LEDs for errors, warnings, info, and upgrade statuses will be lit to indicate the
presence of system events. Click a color to open the Status panel. See “System Status Console Panels” on
page 15.
For explanations of the hardware statuses shown in the status panel, see “Managing Avid NEXIS Hardware” on
page 67.

Status retrieval panel — The Management Console periodically retrieves system status information. The panel
displays the results and the time stamp of the retrieval operation.

System Status History panel — Displays the system events that have occurred since the System Director was
started, along with the date and time of the first logged event. Clicking this panel opens the System Status
History tool. For more information, see “Displaying System Status History” on page 86.

Storage capacity panel — Displays the total capacity of all bound Media Packs, capacity allocated to
Workspaces, and the amount of capacity used by data.

System Status Console panels — Click the panel headings to display the system information panel. For more
information, see “System Status Console Panels” on page 15.

System Status Console Panels
The System Status Console contains several panels that provide information about different areas of the system
operation. Click a panel title to expand and collapse the panel.

Panel Name

Description

Status Console Panel—Provides a quick summary of the System Director status. If an event in the
system log triggers a status to appear, a link is provided to the System Logs tool. For more
information, see “Displaying or Clearing the System Logs Page” on page 88 and “Managing Avid
NEXIS Hardware” on page 67.

System Console Panel—Provides a summary of hardware, software, and networking information.

Performance Console Panel—Provides a summary of the number of messages per second,
number of open files, and the names of clients connected to the system. For more information, see
“Monitoring System Connection Status” on page 81.

Panel Name

Description

Bandwidth Console Panel—Displays “Megabytes per second,” information on total and perclient bandwidth. For more information, see “Monitoring Client Bandwidth” on page 82.

Navigation Toolbar
The navigation toolbar provides several items to help you navigate through the Management Console interface.

Callout

Description

Home link—You can click this link from any page to return to the Management Console Home screen

Current tool heading—Indicates the tool you are currently using

Related links section—Displays links to other Management Console tools relevant to the one you are currently
using

Main Tools Panel
The Management Console main panel is divided into the following sections:
•

The System section, which contains the following tools:
Name

Workspaces

Description

Create, delete, duplicate, or change capacity of any Workspace and see all Workspace
details; see “Managing Workspaces” on page 33.

Name

Description(Continued)

Users

Create, delete, duplicate, or change Workspace access for any User and see all User details;
see “Managing Users” on page 48.

Groups

Create, duplicate, or change Workspace access for any User Group; modify User Group
members; and display all User Group details; see “Managing Groups” on page 60.

Bandwidth Limits

Display and modify bandwidth for clients that are allowed to connect to the Avid NEXIS
system; see “Managing Bandwidth Limits” on page 64 for more information.

Installers

Download installers for Avid NEXIS Clients, Avid NEXIS software for the Engine, Avid
NEXIS Tools, and Adobe Flash Player.
For information on installing the Avid NEXIS Client software, see the Avid NEXIS Client
Manager Installation and User’s Guide. For information on the Avid NEXIS Tools, see
“Avid NEXIS Toolbox” on page 91.

•

Engines

Display details for Engines, reported serial number, status, uptime and more information;
see “Managing Engines” on page 67.

Storage Controllers

Display details, upgrade, and clear status for Storage Controllers in the Engine; see
“Managing Storage Controllers” on page 70.

Media Packs

Bind, unbind and see details for Media Packs; see “Managing Media Packs” on page 72.

Storage Groups

Create, delete, or modify Media Pack Media Packs of any Storage Group, and display
Storage Group details; see “Managing Storage Groups” on page 27.

The Connect section, which contains the following tools:
Name

Description

Connection Status

Display any connected client; see “Monitoring System Connection Status” on page 81.

Client Bandwidth

Display read and write bandwidth of any connected client; see “Monitoring Client
Bandwidth” on page 82.

Reservations

Display any current bandwidth reservation; see “Displaying Client Bandwidth
Reservations” on page 87.

The Tools section, which contains the following tools:
Name

Description

System Status History

Display historical system status information; see “Displaying System Status History” on
page 86.

Network Utilities

Allows you to retrieve a detailed look at the connected network, or run a ping or traceroute;
see “Testing the Network” on page 87.

Redistribution Monitor

Allows you to see details about redistribution; see “Workspace Redistribution” on page 42.

The Logging section, which contains the following tools:

•

Name

Description

System Director
Information

Displays System Director information: System Director status and Avid NEXIS version,
metadata, running processes, and Agent information, all on one screen; see “Displaying
System Director Information” on page 87.

System Logs

Display all system messages, info, warnings, and errors at the application, system, and
security levels; see “Displaying or Clearing the System Logs Page” on page 88.

Administration Logs

Display current and archived Management Console logs; see “Displaying Administration
Logs” on page 88.

Avid NEXIS Snapshots

Create a snapshot of the Avid NEXIS system for displaying or downloading; see “Capturing
System Information (Avid NEXIS Snapshots)” on page 89.

The Advanced section, which contains the following tools:

Name

Description

Preferences

Change and save bandwidth, LCT threshold, device creation, disk error threshold, and other
preferences; see “Configuring Management Console Preferences” on page 25.

External Authentication

Configure external authentication servers; see “Configuring External Authentication of
Users” on page 4.

Notification Service

Configure email notification on specific system events; see “Filtering the Error Notification
Parameters” on page 6.

Agent Settings

Modify agent configuration options and trace settings; see “Configuring the Agent
Settings” on page 25.

System Settings

Manage the Avid NEXIS file system; see “Creating the Avid NEXIS File System” on
page 3.

Administrator Password

Change the Management Console Administrator password; see “Changing the
Administrator Password” on page 8.

Accessing Help
The Help menu, located in the upper right-hand corner of the Management Console window, provides a link to the
Avid NEXIS ReadMe, which contains a link to the Knowledge Base page for your release. The Knowledge Base
page contains PDFs for all the relevant documentation.

Session Counter
The user session will time out automatically after two hours of inactivity, after which you must log in again to
continue working. The session counter, located in the lower right corner of the Management Console, displays the
time remaining in the user session.

The counter is automatically reset to two hours when you click a link or perform an action such as adding or
deleting a Workspace. You can also reset the counter manually by clicking it.
If you enable Auto refresh on a tool screen you will not automatically be logged out after two hours, as long as
you stay on the page where Auto refresh is enabled, or navigate between tools as described in “Updating the
Display” on page 22. Clicking Home disables Auto refresh, and the session counter functionality (automatic
logout) resumes.
To manually reset the session counter:

Click the session counter display.
The session timer is reset to two hours.

Customizing the Management Console Display
You can customize the Main display panel for any option by moving and hiding columns, and by sorting and
filtering information.

Moving Columns
To move a column in the Main display panel:

Click and drag any column to the position you want, and release the mouse button.
The column appears in the new position, and columns to the right are moved to make room.

Showing and Hiding Columns
When you open a Management Console tool (for example, the Storage Controllers tool), the Main display panel
lists items in default columns. Depending on the option selected, there might be other headings available to see.
You can select individual or multiple column headings to be displayed or hidden.
To show or hide columns:

Select one of the options, right-click in the column heading row and select a heading you want to show or
hide.
Displayed column headings are marked by a bullet symbol (•). You cannot hide the first column on the left of
the Main display panel (usually the Name column).

Sorting Information
The Avid NEXIS Management Console interface allows you to sort information listed in the Main display panel,
or in the Details panel. Sorting the information in columns arranges items in either numerical or alphabetical
order. You can also perform a multilevel sort of the displayed information. Date fields are sorted numerically;
most dates in the Management Console are displayed in MM/DD/YYYY format. Some date columns also include
time values, in HH:MM:SS format.

On the System Status History and System Logs pages, dates are displayed in the format MM/DD/YY.
To sort information:

Click the column heading for the column you want to sort.
The information is sorted in ascending order. To reverse the sort order, click the column heading again.

To perform a multilevel sort:

1. Click the column heading for the first column you want to sort.
The items in the column are sorted in ascending order.
2. Click an additional column.
The items in the second column are sorted in ascending order. The items in the first column maintain their sort
order, but with a lower priority than the second sort.
3. (Option) Click multiple columns to add levels to the sort. To cancel a multilevel sort, click a column heading
that has already been sorted.

Filtering the Display
You can limit the items listed in the Main display panel by setting Filter parameters at the bottom of the
Management Console window. Filtering the display allows you to focus on only those items that you want to
monitor. You can restore all items to the display by clearing the Filter parameters.

Callout

Description

Category menu—Select the category to filter

“not” operator—Select to exclude items matching the filter rules from the search results

Condition menu—Select the filter condition

Search term field—Type the text or value to filter

Filter button—Perform the filter operation

Clear button—Clear the filter settings

Filter results counter—Displays the number of filtered results on the page, and in total

You cannot filter the display for Bandwidth, Connection Status, and Reservations (under the Connect heading).
To filter the display:

1. Select a category from the Category menu.
The Category menu lists all of the column headings available for the selected Command menu option.
2. (Option) Select “not” to exclude the items matching the filter rules from the search results.
3. Click the Condition menu and select the filter condition you want to use.
4. In the Filter text box, type the text or value you want to use to filter the display.
5. Click Filter.
The Main display panel updates to display the filtered results. The Filter panel displays the number of filtered
items displayed and the total number of items available for display.
To restore all items to the display:

Click Clear.
The Main display panel updates to display all items.

Updating the Display
You can update onscreen information to reflect recent system changes by clicking Refresh. You can also use Auto
refresh to automatically refresh information at timed intervals, and prevent your session from timing out.

This setting persists between tools when you navigate between them using the Related Links. The Auto-refresh
setting reverts to the default (disabled) between browser sessions (if you close then reopen the management
Console) and if you click Home and then back into the tools.
To enable Auto refresh:

Select the check box next to the Refresh.
Auto refresh mode is enabled, and the following message is displayed:
Auto refresh is enabled; session will not time out. To enable functionality, disable
auto refresh.

While Auto refresh mode is enabled, other functions such as add, delete, and details are not available.

To disable Auto refresh:

Deselect the check box next to the Refresh.
Auto refresh mode is disabled, and the confirmation message closes.

Selecting Items
You can select multiple items in most Management Console tool windows, as follows:
To Select This

Do This

One item

Click the item.

Multiple, non-contiguous items

Ctrl+click each item you want to select.

Multiple, contiguous items

Click the first item, then Shift+click on the last item.

The methods for selecting more than one item in a list are similar to those used in Windows Explorer or the Mac
Finder.

Using Context Menus to Perform Actions
Most Management Console tool windows offer context menus you can use to perform commands on selected
items.
To access context menus within the Management Console:

Right-click (Windows and Linux) or Ctrl+click (Mac) selected items.

Guidelines for Names and Passwords
Follow these guidelines when creating object names or passwords in the Management Console:
•

Names (Storage Groups, Users, Groups) can be a maximum of 31 ASCII characters in length.

•

Workspace names can be up to 31 characters long, must use Unicode characters and cannot include a space.

•

The Administrator and User passwords (for accessing the Management Console) can be a maximum of 15
ASCII characters long.

•

The Agent password can be a maximum of 8 ASCII characters long.

•

Do not include a space in any name fields.

•

Do not use a period (.) as either the first or last character in the names you create.

•

Do not use the following characters in any name fields:

Character

Name

Character

Name

Circumflex accent

Vertical line

Backslash

[

Left square bracket

Forward slash

]

Right square bracket

Character

Name

Character

Name(Continued)

Colon

Plus sign

Asterisk

Equals sign

Question mark

Percent sign

Double quotation mark

;

Semicolon

Less-than sign

Comma

Greater-than sign

Commercial At symbol

The Management Console does not support displaying regional language characters.
For information on the System Director hostname and the Storage System Name, see “Avid NEXIS Agent” on
page 101.

Management Console Preferences
The Preferences tool allows you to set parameters that customize the basic functionality of the Avid NEXIS
system:
•

General Preferences—These control general system behaviors and are described in the following table.

•

Logging Preferences—These control what types of logs are collected and the severity and verbosity of the
event being logged. These are not described here; do not change these unless instructed to do so by Avid
Customer Care.

General Preferences
Option

Type

Default

Description

Total System Bandwidth
(MB/sec)

text
1000 MB/sec
(numeric)

Total reservation bandwidth allowed by the system, in MB/sec.
When this value has been reached, Avid NEXIS will no longer
accept bandwidth reservations from clients.

This value does not represent the actual bandwidth capabilities of
the Avid NEXIS system. For more information about Avid NEXIS
bandwidth capabilities, see Avid Storage v6.0 Documentation.

Default Bandwidth for
Auto Created Devices
(MB/sec)

text
0
(numeric)

Reservation bandwidth allowed for devices that are
automatically created at connection time.

Force Manual Device
Creation

check box Disabled

If enabled, clients without an entry in the Bandwidth Limits list
are not allowed to connect. Manually create an entry for every
client computer that is expected to connect to the Avid NEXIS
system.

Default LCT Threshold
(ms)*

text
0
(numeric)

Defines the upper limit of the Long Command Time (LCT)
value, above which the Media Pack will report a Disk Degraded
condition to the System Director.

The default value (0) grants unlimited bandwidth.

The default value (0) sets the LCT threshold to the internal
system default of 750ms.

Option

Type

Default

Default Hard Disk Error
Threshold*

text
0
(numeric)

Description(Continued)

Defines the upper limit for number of hard disk errors before
the Media Pack reports a Disk Failure condition to the
System Director.
The default (0) uses the internal system value of 25 errors.

History Data Collection

check box Enabled

When enabled (default), collects system history data every hour,
which is displayed in the System Status History panel (see
“Displaying System Status History” on page 86. If disabled (for
support use only), the system stops collecting new data, but
existing data is retained.

Auto-Rectify

check box Disabled

Automatically reconciles the actual amount of used space and
the reported amount of used space on a system.Default value is
disabled. Takes effect immediately with no restart required.

Show status prior to login

check box Disabled

When enabled, prevents anyone from seeing the Status Console
panel on the left side before they log in. Only administrators can
change this setting. By default users can see the Status Console
before logging in.

Configuring Management Console Preferences
To configure Management Console Preferences:

1. From the Management Console home page, click Preferences, located in the Advanced section.
The Preferences tool opens.
2. Select your preferences.
3. (Option) To revert all options to the previously saved values, click Refresh.
4. Click Save Preferences to save your changes.

Configuring the Agent Settings
The Avid NEXIS Management Console includes several tools for displaying the System Agent statistics and
configuration information, and for configuring advanced options.

•

Use the Options page to modify Agent configuration options such as timeouts and session settings.

•

Use the Trace Setup page to configure trace settings for connections, HTTP requests, SSL callbacks, and
threads.

These tools should not be used except under the advice and supervision of Avid Customer Care.
To configure the Agent settings:

In the Management Console, click Agent Settings under the Advanced heading.

3 Managing Storage Groups and Workspaces
Storage Groups are collections of Media Packs that store media files accessible within a shared storage
environment. Storage Groups give you flexibility in allocating storage capacity among groups with different
functional areas, workflow requirements, or as a means of mitigating the risk of various disk failure scenarios.
Workspaces are virtual volumes that exist on Storage Groups and can be resized dynamically. Workspaces allow
you to subdivide the space in the Storage Groups to accommodate projects and users.

Managing Storage Groups
Storage Groups are collections of Media Packs, enabling you to create a large pool of storage. Within Storage
Groups, you create Workspaces. Clients mount Workspaces to capture and edit media files.
Using a System Director that runs on an Engine (called an embedded System Director), you can have up to four
Media Packs in a single Avid NEXIS shared storage system, in from one to four Storage Groups. Using a System
Director Appliance, you can have up to 24 Media Packs in a single Avid NEXIS shared storage system, in from
one to 24 Storage Groups.
To maximize the usefulness of the Media Pack storage, Avid recommends putting all the Media Packs into the
same Storage Group. If you have Media Packs of different capacities, you can create separate Storage Groups to
segregate them. If any Media Pack in a Storage Group is smaller than the others, then every Media Pack in the
Storage Group is treated as the smallest size.
For example, if you create a Storage Group using a 20TB Media Pack and a 60TB Media Pack, the total Storage
Group capacity is 40TB (2 x 20TB). You cannot take advantage of the extra capacity on the larger Media Pack.
The following calculations describe the net space available when combining Media Packs of equal and different
capacities.
•

Two 20TB Media Packs = 40TB usable space

•

One 20TB Media Pack plus one 40TB Media Pack = 40TB usable space (only 20TB of space from the 40TB
Media Pack is usable)

•

Two 40TB Media Packs = 80TB usable space

Similarly, make sure to use drives of the same size. All drives in a Media Pack are treated as if they are the size of
the smallest drive.
For example, if you have a Media Pack composed of nine 6TB drives and one 2TB drive, the total capacity of that
Media Pack is 10 x 2TB, or 20TB. The other 4TB on each of the other nine drives is not usable due to the data
striping algorithm Avid NEXIS uses.
If necessary, you can use a larger capacity drive to replace a failed drive of a smaller capacity in a Media Pack, but
the extra capacity of the larger drive is not used. You cannot use a smaller drive to replace a failed larger drive in
a Media Pack. The Media Pack will not accept the drive.

To get the best capacity and performance from your Avid NEXIS system, Avid strongly recommends always using
the same capacity drives in a Media Pack, and creating Storage Groups with same capacity Media Packs. You can
increase the amount of space in a Storage Group later, within some restrictions. For more information, see
“Adding Unassigned Media Packs to Storage Groups” on page 30.
The Storage Groups page of the Management Console allows you to create, delete, rename, and manage
Storage Groups.

Callout

Description

Action button toolbar—Perform actions on selected Storage Groups

Storage Groups list—Lists all configured Storage Groups and related information; see “Storage Groups List”
on page 28

Details panel—Detailed information on the selected Storage Groups; see “Displaying Storage Group and
Media Pack Details” on page 32

Media Packs list—Displays Media Packs belonging to the selected Storage Group

Filter panel—Filter the Storage Groups list display based on conditions you configure; see “Filtering the
Display” on page 21

Storage Groups List
The following table summarizes the information available in the Storage Groups list. This information is also
displayed in the Details panel for a selected Storage Group.

Heading

Description

Name

Displays the name of the currently selected Storage Group

Capacity

Displays the total storage capacity of the selected Storage Group

Effective

Displays the effective (available) storage capacity of the selected Storage Group based on the
Media Pack protection types assigned to the current Workspaces in the group

Used

Displays the amount of storage space that currently contains user data

Unused

Displays the amount of storage space that currently contains no data in the Media Packs assigned to
the selected Storage Group

Allocated

Displays the amount of storage space assigned to Workspaces in the selected Storage Group

Unallocated

Displays the amount of storage space available to create more Workspaces in the selected
Storage Group

Files

Displays the number of files in all Workspaces in the selected Storage Group

Directories

Displays the number of directories in all Workspaces in the selected Storage Group

You can sort the information in the Storage Groups page by clicking any column heading. For more information
on sorting items in columns, see “Sorting Information” on page 21.

Creating a Storage Group
Storage Groups comprise one or more Media Packs from one or more Engines. To create a Storage Group, at least
one Media Pack must be bound to the Avid NEXIS file system. See “Binding the Media Packs to the File System”
on page 4.
The total capacity of the Storage Group is equal to the lowest common denominator of the size of the Media Packs
you add to it; for example, a Storage Group with two 20TB Media Packs yields 40TB of space. But a Storage
Group with one 20TB Media Pack and one 60TB Media Pack also yields 40TB of space. Ideally, add Media Packs
of the same size to the Storage Group.
You can add larger Media Packs to an existing Storage Group later, and remove the smaller ones, to increase the
overall capacity of a Storage Group. For more information, see “Adding Unassigned Media Packs to
Storage Groups” on page 30.
To create a Storage Group:

1. From the Management Console home page, click Storage Groups in the System section.
The Storage Groups page opens. If you have no Storage Groups yet, but at least one Media Pack is bound to
the file system, the Create Storage Groups panel opens automatically.
2. Click New.
The Create Storage Group panel opens.
3. In the Name text box, type a name for the Storage Group.

For information on valid and invalid characters, see “Guidelines for Names and Passwords” on page 23.
4. In the Media Packs panel, select the Media Packs you want to assign to the new Storage Group (up to four, if
running an embedded System Director, or up to 24, if running a System Director Appliance).

5. (Option) Click Revert to undo any modifications made to the Storage Group information.
6. Click Apply to create a new Storage Group.
If another Storage Group has the same name an error is displayed.
The new Storage Group appears in the Storage Groups list, and the Create Storage Group dialog box refreshes
to show the Media Packs still available for additional Storage Groups.
7. Click Close.

Adding Unassigned Media Packs to Storage Groups
When you add Media Packs to an Engine that is not fully populated, or add a new Engine to your Avid NEXIS
system, you can either add the Media Packs to an existing Storage Group, or create a new one.
You can also serially replace smaller-capacity Media Packs in an existing Storage Group with larger-capacity
Media Packs, until all the smaller Media Packs are removed, to increase the overall space available in the Storage
Group. Until all the smaller Media Packs have been removed, the total Storage Group capacity remains a multiple
of the lowest common denominator.
For example, consider a Storage Group containing four 20TB Media Packs. The total capacity is 80TB. If you add
four 60TB Media Packs, the Storage Group capacity increases by the lowest common denominator, or 4 x 20TB,
to a new total of 160TB. After you remove the four 20TB Media Packs and redistribution completes, the Storage
Group can use the full capacity of the larger Media Packs: 4 x 60, or 240TB.
This allows you to increase the capacity of a Storage Group using the same number of Media Packs.
Adding and removing Media Packs redistributes files in the Storage Group across all the remaining Media Packs.
For more information, see“Workspace Redistribution” on page 42.
To add Media Packs to a Storage Group:

1. From the Management Console home page, click Storage Groups in the System section.
2. In the Storage Groups list, select the Storage Group where you want to add Media Packs, and then do one of
the following:
t

Click Details.

Double-click the Storage Group name.

The Details panel displays all the information on the selected Storage Group.
3. In the Media Packs panel, select the unassigned Media Packs you want to add to the Storage Group. A single
Storage Group can contain up to four Media Packs, from any Engines.
4. Click Add to add the selected unassigned Media Packs to the Storage Group.
The Storage Media Packs panel refreshes to display the selected Media Packs added to the Storage Group.
5. (Option) Click Revert to undo any modifications made to the Storage Group information.
6. Click Apply.
The Media Packs are added to the Storage Group.

The shared storage network performs a redistribution of any data on the Media Packs. The amount of
time required for the redistribution depends on the amount of data in the Storage Group.

The configuration change counter for all affected Workspaces is incremented by one.

After 20 configuration changes, the system prompts you to perform a full redistribution. You can suspend and
resume the redistribution as needed. See “Suspending and Resuming Redistribution” on page 44.
30

Removing Media Packs from Storage Groups
You can remove a Media Pack from a Storage Group for several reasons:
•

To add it to another Storage Group

•

To remove it from the Engine

•

To replace it with a larger-capacity Media Pack (see “Adding Unassigned Media Packs to Storage Groups” on
page 30)

If the Storage Group contains Workspaces, the Storage Group must have at least as much free space as the
capacity of the Media Pack you want to remove, so the Workspaces can be redistributed (see “Workspace
Redistribution” on page 42).
You cannot remove Media Packs if the Storage Group will have less than either the used space or the allocated
space. To make enough free space, you can delete files from the current Workspaces, or reduce or delete
Workspaces themselves. See “Resizing a Workspace” on page 38 and “Deleting a Workspace” on page 40.
You cannot remove the last Media Pack from a Storage Group, but if no Workspaces exist, you can delete the
Storage Group itself, which returns the Media Pack to the spare state.
Media Packs removed from the Storage Group are returned to the system’s pool of unassigned (spare) Media
Packs.

If you remove a Media Pack during high client usage, it might reduce performance on your clients, possibly
resulting in dropped frames, underruns, and failed captures. To avoid this, remove Media Packs during
periods of light client activity. You can suspend and resume a redistribution as needed.
To remove Media Packs from a Storage Group:

1. From the Management Console home page, click Storage Groups in the System section.
The Storage Groups page opens.
2. In the Storage Groups list, select the Storage Group that contains the Media Packs you want to remove, and
then do one of the following:
t

Click Details.

Double-click the Storage Group name.

The Details panel displays all the information on the selected Storage Group.
3. In the Media Packs panel, select all the Media Packs you want to remove from the Storage Group.
4. Click Remove.
The Media Packs panel refreshes and displays the selected Media Packs as Spare.
5. (Option) Click Revert to undo any modifications made to the Storage Group information.
6. Click Apply.
The Media Packs are removed from the Storage Group. You can then unbind them from the Avid NEXIS file
system (see “Unbinding Media Packs from the Avid NEXIS File System” on page 78) or add them to a
different Storage Group (see “Adding Unassigned Media Packs to Storage Groups” on page 30).

Moving Media Packs Between Storage Groups
To move a Media Pack from one Storage Group to another:

1. Remove the Media Pack from its current Storage Group. See Removing Media Packs from Storage Groups.
The Storage Groups page opens.
2. Add the Media Pack to the new Storage Group. See Adding Unassigned Media Packs to Storage Groups.

Displaying Storage Group and Media Pack Details
The Details and Media Packs panels display information about the currently selected Storage Group and the
Media Packs it contains, as seen by the System Director. Some of the information is embedded in the Media Pack,
and other information is assigned to the Media Pack by the Avid NEXIS software.

To sort the information in the Media Packs panel, click any column heading. For more information on sorting
items in columns, see “Sorting Information” on page 21.
To see information about a Storage Group:

In the Storage Groups list, select a Storage Group.
The Storage Groups page displays all the information for the selected Storage Group. If the Details panel is
not visible, click Details.
The Media Packs panel lists the Media Packs allocated to the currently selected Storage Group, as well as
Media Packs available for allocation to the Storage Group.
For information about the Media Packs panel, see “Media Packs List” on page 73. Some columns are hidden
by default (see “Showing and Hiding Columns” on page 20).

To close the Details panel:

Click Details in the toolbar, or click Close at the bottom of the Details panel.

Deleting Storage Groups
You can delete a Storage Group only if it is empty (does not contain Workspaces). If the Storage Group you want
to delete contains Workspaces, see “Deleting a Workspace” on page 40.
To delete a Storage Group:

1. From the Management Console home page, click Storage Groups in the System section.
The Storage Groups page opens.
2. In the Storage Groups list, select the Storage Group you want to delete.
3. Click Delete.
A dialog box opens asking you to confirm the action.
4. Click Yes.
The Storage Group is deleted.
After the Storage Group is deleted, all of the Media Packs previously in the Storage Group appear in the Media
Packs panel as Spare.

Managing Workspaces
In addition to creating and deleting Workspaces, you can change the name, size, user access and permissions, and
event triggers.

Callout

Description

Action button toolbar—Perform actions on selected Workspaces

Workspaces list—Lists all configured Workspaces and related information; see “Workspaces List” on page 34

Details panel—Detailed information on the selected Workspaces; see “Displaying Workspace Details” on
page 34

Filter panel—Filter the Workspaces list display based on conditions you configure; see “Filtering the Display”
on page 21

Callout

Description

User access panel—Displays users who have access to the selected Workspace and details about their access
privileges; see “Managing User Access Privileges for Workspaces” on page 41

Workspaces List
The Workspaces list displays all Workspaces, the Storage Groups they are in, and Workspace details.

Heading

Description

Name

Lists the names of all Workspaces in the selected Storage Groups

Capacity

Lists the total storage capacity of each Workspace

Resize slider

Displays a graphical representation of the used and available space for each Workspace
(for more information, see “Using the Workspace Size Graph” on page 39)

Maximum

Lists the maximum amount of storage space available for the Workspace on the network

Media Pack Protection Mode

Displays the protection mode applied to the Workspaces

Used

Displays the amount of storage space currently in use in the Workspace

% Used

Displays the percentage (%) of Workspace capacity currently in use

Reserved

Displays the amount of storage space that has been reserved for use by the Workspace

Unused

Lists the amount of storage space that currently has no data written on it in each
Workspace

Space on Disk

Lists the amount of disk space actually used by the data in the Workspace, accounting for
the Workspace protection mode and some overhead.

Status

Displays the Workspace status, such as:
•

Workspace is about to be deleted (“Delete pending”)

•

Workspace is running out of space

•

Workspace is full

•

Rebuild pending

•

Rebuild in process (shows percent done)

Config Changes

Displays the number of changes to a Storage Group that involve moving data — for
example, the number of times a Media Pack has been added or removed

Storage Group

Displays the Storage Group that contains the Workspace

Files

Lists the total number of files stored in the Workspace

To sort the information in the Media Packs panel, click any column heading. For more information on sorting
items in columns, see “Sorting Information” on page 21.

Displaying Workspace Details
To see detailed information about a Workspace:

In the Workspaces list, either select a Workspace and click Details, or double-click a Workspace name.

To close the Details panel:

Click Details in the toolbar, or click Close at the bottom of the Details panel.

The Details panel contains the same information as the Workspaces column list (except the Resize slider and the
Maximum storage space), and includes the following additional information:
Heading

Description

Directories

Displays the number of directories used by the selected Workspace

Warning Event Trigger

Displays the value in used percentage (%) or unused gigabytes (GB) of storage at which a
warning event is written to the Event Log

Error Event Trigger

Displays the value in used percentage (%) or unused gigabytes (GB) of storage at which an
error event is written to the Event Log

The User Access panel lists all users and user groups and their access privileges. (For information on access
privileges, see “Managing User Access Privileges for Workspaces” on page 41.)

Heading

Description

Name

Lists the names of the users and user groups on the network

Type

Displays the client category (user or user group) for each client in the Name list

Access

Lists the access privileges for each client in the Name list

Effective

Lists the effective access privileges for each client in the Name list

Reason

Lists the reason for any difference between the access privileges assigned to a user and the effective access
assigned to a user as a member of a user group

To sort the information in the User Access panel, click any column heading. For more information on sorting
items in columns, see “Sorting Information” on page 21.

Workspace Considerations
Before you create Workspaces:
•

Consider how you want to allocate them. For example, you can allocate them to projects, groups, individual
clients, streaming bit rates, media types, media distributors, or a combination of these.

•

Consider whether you want to apply access restrictions, and what type.

•

Determine how much storage each Workspace requires and allocate space accordingly. This might be a
function of project size, number of clients, media duration, or media resolution.

•

Determine the type of data protection you want to apply to the Workspace. See “Workspace Protection” on
page 36.

In a multiple Workspace configuration, consider reserving some space rather than assigning all of it immediately.
Once space is allocated, it tends to be filled quickly and you might need space later to accommodate a new project
or client or to extend or protect an existing Workspace. In these situations, it is easier to use space held in reserve
than to take it away from an existing Workspace.

Workspace Protection
Workspaces serve different purposes, and might need different levels of protection against data loss when a drive
in a Media Pack fails. Avid recommends protecting all your Workspaces whenever possible.
Choose from one of the following Media Pack protection modes when you create a Workspace:
•

Two Disk Protection — Workspace data can tolerate the failure of two drives in the same Media Pack at the
same time. Offers the best protection but requires the most space in the Storage Group.

•

One Disk Protection — Workspace data can tolerate the failure of one drive in the Media Pack. Offers some
protection, but requires timely replacement of failed drives.

•

Unprotected — Workspace data is lost if a single drive in the Media Pack backing the Workspace fails. Uses
the least space in the Storage Group.

If you want to ensure protection of your files at all times, always choose a protection mode when creating new
Workspaces (before any files are stored on the Workspace). You cannot change the protection mode later.
If a Storage Group contains Workspaces with different protection modes, when Media Pack drives fail, the
Workspaces with one-disk protection are rebuilt at a higher priority than those with two-disk protection. After all
one-disk protected Workspaces are rebuilt, the two-disk protected Workspace rebuilds begin. The Workspaces list
displays the rebuild operations pending and in process (including percent done) for all Workspaces.

Creating a Workspace
You can create up to 1024 Workspaces on the Avid NEXIS system. Each Workspace can have unique access
privileges, permissions, protection modes, and event triggers. At least one Storage Group must exist before you
can create a Workspace; see “Creating a Storage Group” on page 29.

If no Workspaces exist, the Create Workspace dialog box opens by default when you select the Workspaces list.
To add a new Workspace:

1. From the Management Console home page, click Workspaces in the System section.
The Workspaces page opens.
2. Click New.
The Details panel opens.
3. In the Name text box, type a name for the Workspace.

For information on valid and invalid characters, see “Guidelines for Names and Passwords” on page 23.
4. Choose a protection mode for the Workspace. Each Workspace in a Storage Group can use a different mode.
5. [Option] If you have multiple Storage Groups, click the Storage Group drop-down list and select the
Storage Group in which you want to create the Workspace.
The Storage Group name appears in the Storage Group text box.
6. Type a size for the Workspace in the Capacity text box. The Capacity text box contains the default size
(214.74 GB), and the maximum size is shown next to it.

The minimum Workspace size is 1.073 GB.
If all storage in the Storage Group is allocated to existing Workspaces, you can recapture some space by
making an existing Workspace smaller. For more information, see “Resizing a Workspace” on page 38.

7. (Option) To set a Warning event trigger, select the type of trigger from the drop-down list (either Used % > or
Unused GB <), then type in a value.
8. (Option) To set an Error event trigger, select the type of trigger from the drop-down list (either Used % > or
Unused GB <), then type in a value.

For more information, see “Setting Event Triggers for a Workspace” on page 39.
9. In the User Access panel, set the User and User Group access privileges (for more information, see “Setting or
Changing Workspace Access Privileges” on page 41).
10. Click Apply.
The new Workspace appears in the Workspaces list, and the Create Workspace dialog box refreshes to allow
you to create a new Workspace.
If a Workspace with the same name exists already, an error occurs.
11. If you are done creating Workspaces, click Close.

Duplicating a Workspace
When you duplicate a Workspace, the new Workspace inherits all the attributes of the original. You can change
any of the attributes on the new Workspace except the protection mode. The new Workspace does not contain the
data from the original.

The Storage Group must contain at least as much available space as the size of the Workspace you are
duplicating.
By default, the new Workspace inherits the name of the Workspace being duplicated, with a numeric suffix. For
example, if the original Workspace is named Ingest, the duplicated Workspace is named Ingest1. You can change
the name of the duplicated Workspace.
To duplicate a Workspace:

1. From the Management Console home page, click Workspaces in the System section.
The Workspaces page opens.
2. Select the Workspace you want to duplicate.
3. Click Duplicate.
The Duplicate Workspace dialog box opens.
4. (Option) You can change the name, size, event triggers, or user access, but not the Workspace protection
mode.
5. Click Apply.
The new Workspace appears in the Workspace list, and the Details panel is refreshed.
If there is no room for a Workspace of the specified size, the Capacity field displays a red line and the Apply
button becomes inactive.
6. Click Close.

Renaming a Workspace
You can rename a Workspace at any time, even when it is being used by client workstations and mapped to a local
drive or by letterless mapping (to a Universal Naming Convention path) on the client system. The only effect on
users is that the Workspace name will be different the next time they need to access it.
37

As a best practice, Avid recommends that users unmount the Workspace you want to rename before you proceed.
To rename a Workspace:

1. From the Management Console home page, click Workspaces in the System section.
The Workspaces page opens.
2. In the Workspaces list, click the Workspace name you want to change.
3. If the Details panel is not visible, do one of the following:
t

Click Details.

Double-click the Workspace name.

The Workspaces Details panel displays all the information on the selected Workspace.
4. Type a new name in the Name text box.

For information on valid and invalid characters, see “Guidelines for Names and Passwords” on page 23.
5. (Option) Click Revert to undo any modifications made to the Workspace information.
6. Click Apply.

Resizing a Workspace
You can change the size of a Workspace at any time, except you cannot make it smaller than the amount of in-use
space, or less than the minimum size (1.073GB). If you have set event triggers on a Workspace, and you receive
notification that a Workspace is running out of free space, you can increase its size.
Alternatively, you might need to make a Workspace smaller to create space in the Storage Group for other
Workspaces or to reserve storage for future use. (You cannot reduce a Workspace to less than the amount of its inuse space.)

You cannot make a Workspace larger than the maximum available space in the Storage Group, or smaller than the
amount of used space in the Workspace.
The Storage Group must contain at least as much available space as the amount by which you want to increase the
Workspace. If not, add more Media Packs to the Storage Group first; see “Adding Unassigned Media Packs to
Storage Groups” on page 30.
To change the size of a Workspace:

1. From the Management Console home page, click Workspaces in the System section.
The Workspaces page opens.
2. In the Workspaces list, select a Workspace.
3. Do one of the following:
t

Click the handle of the Workspaces size graph, and drag it to resize the graphical display. The Workspace
size listed in the Capacity text box changes as you drag the handle. See “Using the Workspace Size
Graph” on page 39.

Click Details and type a new value for the Workspace size in the Capacity text box in the Workspace
Details panel.

4. Click Apply.

Using the Workspace Size Graph
The Workspace Size graph provides a quick way to see and change how much storage capacity is currently
allocated to each Workspace and how much of that storage space currently has data written on it. The graph
represents the following:
•

Workspace size—total disk space in the Storage Group allocated to each Workspace

•

Used space—used disk space in the Workspace

•

Unused space—unused disk space in the Workspace

•

Maximum Workspace size—total of Workspace size plus remaining disk space in the Storage Group available
for allocation to each Workspace

q
e

w
r

Callout

Description

Decrease/Increase buttons—Increases or decreases the scale of the graph (zooms in or out)

Resize slider—Click and drag to increase or decrease the Workspace size; see “Resizing a Workspace” on
page 38

Used Space

Unused space

Maximum Workspace size—total of Workspace size plus space in the Storage Group still available for
allocation to each Workspace

Setting Event Triggers for a Workspace
You can set event triggers that will write events to the Event log when Workspace capacity (in gigabytes) is less
than a specified value, or when used Workspace capacity exceeds a specified percentage. You can create triggers
for both Warning and Error events:
•

Warning events indicate that the amount of used or unused space in the Workspace is nearing a threshold that
you set, and you have time to take action (increase the size of the Workspace or change the event trigger)
before it can cause problems.

•

Error events indicate that the amount of used or unused space in the Workspace has already met the critical
threshold that you set. Take immediate action to correct the problem.

If you have email notifications enabled, you can receive email notifications when Workspace capacity events
occur. For more information, see “Receiving Notification of System Problems” on page 5.
To set an event trigger:

1. In the Workspaces list, select the Workspace for which you want to set a trigger.
2. If the Details panel is not visible, do one of the following:
t

Click Details.
39

Double-click the Workspace name.

3. (Option) Select one of the following from the Warning Event Trigger drop-down list:
t

Unused GB < (Trigger a warning when unused capacity falls below the specified value, in gigabytes)

Used % > (Trigger a warning when used capacity exceeds the specified percentage value)

4. Type a value in the text field for the capacity at which you want the event to be triggered.
5. (Option) Select one of the following from the Error Event Trigger “used” list:
t

Unused GB < (Trigger a warning when unused capacity falls below the specified value, in gigabytes)

Used % > (Trigger warning when used capacity exceeds the specified percentage value)

6. Type a value in the text field for the capacity at which you want the event to be triggered.
7. Click Apply.
8. Click Close.

Deleting a Workspace
You can delete Workspaces (singly or in multiples) that are not currently being accessed by any clients, whether or
not the Workspaces have media files stored on them.
Before deleting a Workspace, make sure that its media is moved, backed up, or no longer needed.
Deleting a Workspace returns its capacity to the amount of available space in the Storage Group.
If you delete a Workspace that has been mapped to a local drive by a client, the client can no longer access that
Workspace. Clients should unmap the deleted Workspace using the Avid Client Manager. For more information,
see the Avid NEXIS Client Manager Installation and User’s Guide or the Client Manager Help.

Redistribution starts automatically when you delete a Workspace. During periods of high client usage, this
might reduce client performance, resulting in dropped frames, underruns, and failed captures. If possible,
delete Workspaces during periods of light client activity.
You can suspend and resume a redistribution as needed.
To delete a Workspace:

1. From the Management Console home page, click Workspaces in the System section.
The Workspaces page opens.
2. In the Workspaces list, select the Workspace you want to delete.
3. Click Delete.
A dialog box opens, prompting you to confirm the operation.
4. Click Yes.
The Workspace is deleted.

Managing User Access Privileges for Workspaces
You can set privileges for user and user group access to Workspaces:
•

Read/Write—User (client) can read and write to the Workspace

•

Read—User (client) can read only read from the Workspace

•

None—User (client) cannot read, write, or mount the Workspace

By default, new accounts do not have access privileges to Workspaces until an administrator assigns them (see
“Creating Users” on page 51). You can customize access for each client to every Workspace, if necessary.
You can control access either from the Workspace level (specifying the access to that Workspace for every user
and group on the system)—or from the user or group level (granting access to a user or group for all or specific
Workspaces, or preventing a user or a whole group of users from accessing one or more Workspaces).
To modify an individual client’s or group’s access privileges, see “Changing User Details” on page 52. To control
access to a Workspace for all users and groups, see “Setting or Changing Workspace Access Privileges” on
page 41.
You also can give users different access privileges from those given to the group to which they belong. The
group’s privileges set the baseline for all group members, and you can tailor the privileges for specific members of
that group.
For example, you can grant a group read/write access, then restrict some members to read-only or no access.
Alternatively, you can give the group read-only (or no) access, but specify read or read-write access for some
members of the group. This can be useful for projects that include users who need a variety of permissions.
Changes to Workspace privileges have the following effects:
Current Privilege

New Privilege

Effect

None

Read or Read/Write

Available immediately

Read

Read/Write

Available immediately

Read/Write

Read

Apply immediately. If a file is open for writing, client retains
write privilege until file is closed.

Read or Read/Write

None

If a client is already at the Workspace selection stage when the
access privileges are removed, the Workspaces remain in the
display. Future attempts to access the Workspaces will be
unsuccessful.

Setting or Changing Workspace Access Privileges
You can set access privileges for users and user groups when the client accounts are created (see “Creating Users”
on page 51 and “Adding User Groups” on page 62), or later (see “Changing User Details” on page 52).
Alternatively you can set, modify, and monitor access privileges to Workspaces without having to modify
individual client accounts.

Make sure all users have unmounted the Workspace before you change its access privileges.

To set or change user or user group access to a Workspace:

1. From the Management Console home page, click Workspaces in the System section.
The Workspaces page opens.
2. In the Workspaces list, select a Workspace.
3. If the Details panel is not visible, do one of the following:
t

Click Details.

Double-click the Workspace name.

The Workspaces Details panel displays all the information on the selected Workspace.
4. In the User Access panel, select a user or a user group. Ctrl+click (Windows and Linux) or Cmd+click (Mac)
to select multiple users and user groups. Click Select All to select all users and user groups.
5. Change the Workspace privilege.
6. (Option) Click Revert to undo any modifications made to the user access information.
7. Click Apply.

Workspace Redistribution
Redistribution is an operation that ensures all files in a Workspace are balanced evenly across the Media Packs in
the Storage Group to provide optimal file system performance. Data chunks are distributed across multiple Media
Packs to ensure redundancy and protect against data loss. Redistribution applies to all Workspaces in a Storage
Group.
Operations that initiate redistribution of data include:
•

Adding or removing Media Packs from a Storage Group

•

Deleting Workspaces

About Configuration Changes
The configuration of a Storage Group is based on the Media Packs that make up that group. When you add or
remove Media Packs from the Storage Group:
•

A configuration change is made

•

An incremental redistribution is performed to balance the files in the Storage Group across the Media Packs

Deleting Workspaces results in a redistribution but does not cause a configuration change. You can see the number
of configuration changes that have been applied to a Workspace; see “Displaying Workspace Details” on page 34.
After 20 configuration changes, the Workspaces page displays a warning to perform a full redistribution. You can
manually initiate a Full Redistribution at any time using the Workspaces page in the Management Console. If you
do not do so, the system continues to function, but the affected Workspaces and the System Status Panel general
status remain at Warning until a full redistribution is performed (see “Performing a Full Redistribution” on
page 43).

After 30 configuration changes without a full redistribution, the system will perform a full redistribution
automatically. This could significantly reduce system performance until the redistribution operation has
completed.

Redistribution Guidelines and Reference Information
•

The Avid NEXIS supports add, remove, and full redistributions under load.
-

A load condition exists when the Workspace has active clients (reading and writing to the Workspace).

A no load condition exists when a Workspace is not mounted or has inactive clients (the Workspace might
be mounted but clients are not performing reads or writes).

•

When redistributing under load, allow the redistribution to complete before initiating a second redistribution.

•

System performance can degrade significantly during redistribution in a Storage Group with the maximum
client count. Reducing the number of clients allows the active clients using the Storage Group to function
normally, with successful playback and captures. Perform redistributions during periods of light client
activity, or reduce the overall load if client performance degrades (for example, the client experiences
dropped frames, underruns, and failed captures). Limitations on expected client performance during
redistribution include the following:
-

Reducing audio tracks from 8 to 4 during playback might be required during redistribution. (Normal
operation supports 2 streams of video 8 tracks of audio.)

Reducing the number of video streams from 2 to 1 might be required during redistribution. (Normal
operation supports 2 streams of video.)

You can suspend and resume a redistribution as needed.

c
c

•

The amount of time a redistribution takes depends on whether the Workspace is in a load or a no load
condition, whether you are adding or removing a Media Pack, and how much data in the Storage Group must
be redistributed.

•

Redistributions are performed on 20 Workspaces at a time. If your Storage Group exceeds 20 Workspaces, the
Workspace status shows “Redistribution In Process” for the first 20 Workspaces and “Redistribution
Pending” for the rest of the Workspaces in that Storage Group. As Workspaces finish with the redistribution,
the Workspaces with “Redistribution Pending” status start to redistribute until all the Workspaces in that
Storage Group have finished the redistribution.

•

Do not physically remove a Media Pack until it has been removed from the Storage Group, the redistribution
is complete, and it has been unbound.

If you physically remove a Media Pack from the shared storage network before redistribution is complete,
or if you physically remove more than one Media Pack from a Storage Group before performing a
redistribution, data loss can occur.
If you turn off any of the Engines before redistribution is complete, data loss can occur.

Performing a Full Redistribution
In addition to automatic redistribution operations (see “Workspace Redistribution” on page 42), you can also
initiate redistribution manually; for example, to perform a full redistribution when the Config Changes count
exceeds 20. (For information about Config Changes, see “Displaying Workspace Details” on page 34.)

When the Config Changes count reaches 20, a message warns you to perform a redistribution.
You can choose specific Workspaces to redistribute, or select one or more Workspaces from one or more Storage
Groups, and redistribute all the Workspaces associated with those Storage Groups.
When redistributing files manually, redistribute all Workspaces in a Storage Group. Avid does not recommend
performing a full redistribution on some Workspaces in a Storage Group but not on others.

To redistribute Workspaces manually:

1. From the Management Console home page, click Workspaces in the System section.
The Workspaces page opens.
2. Do one of the following:
t

Select a single or multiple Workspaces in the same Storage Group

Select multiple Workspaces from different Storage Groups

3. Click Advanced Commands.
The Advanced Workspace Commands dialog box opens.
4. Do one of the following:
t

To start redistribution for only the selected Workspaces, click Full Redistribution.

To start redistribution for all Workspaces in the Storage Groups of the selected Workspaces, click Full
Redistribution for All.

A confirmation message box opens.
5. Click OK.
Files are redistributed, and the count in the Config Changes column is reset to zero. The amount of time
required for the redistribution depends on the amount of data in the Workspaces.
6. If Media Packs have rebooted following the completion of a full redistribution, do the following:
a.

Click Advanced Commands.
The Advanced Workspace Commands dialog box opens.

b. Select Verify Redistribution, and then click Send.

Suspending and Resuming Redistribution
Under some conditions, you might have to suspend or resume an in-progress redistribution. You can do this with
the Advanced Commands options available on the toolbar in the Workspaces page, which also lets you suspend or
resume redistribution of all Workspaces associated with the same Storage Groups.

n
c

To suspend the redistribution on a Storage Group that has more than 20 Workspaces, suspend all the Workspaces
in that group.
Use of the Resume Redistribution and the Suspend Redistribution options can result in degraded system
performance. Suspending redistributions can have serious consequences for the file system if not monitored
closely. These two Advanced Commands options should be used by Avid Customer Care personnel or
under Avid Customer Care direction.
You can also use the Advanced Commands to verify a redistribution. Verification makes sure that all bad blocks
on the appropriate Media Packs have been deleted and that the redistribution has completed successfully. Use the
Verify Redistribution command after you upgrade your Engine. In this case, Media Packs might report a
“Repairing Mirrors” status on reboot; verifying the redistribution replays the redistribution operation using the
current configuration and restores the status to normal.

Verification has minimal impact on performance and completes quickly.

To suspend a redistribution:

Select specific Workspaces, then click Advanced Commands.

Select a single Workspace, then click Advanced Commands.

Select one or more Workspaces from different Storage Groups, then click Advanced Commands.

The Advanced Workspace Commands dialog box opens.
4. Do one of the following:
t

Click Suspend Redistribution.
Only the selected Workspaces suspend redistribution.

Click Suspend Redistribution for All.
Redistribution is suspended for all Workspaces associated with the Storage Groups of the Workspaces
you selected.

A confirmation message box opens.
5. Click Send.

When you manually suspend a redistribution, you must also manually resume it. Suspending
redistributions should be considered temporary — do not leave Workspaces in the suspended state for
extended periods of time.
To resume a redistribution:

Select specific Workspaces with suspended redistribution, then click Advanced Commands.

Select a single Workspace, then click Advanced Commands.

Select one or more Workspaces from different Storage Groups, then click Advanced Commands.

The Advanced Workspace Commands dialog box opens.
4. Do one of the following:
t

Click Resume Redistribution.
Only the selected Workspaces resume redistribution.

Click Resume Redistribution for All.
Redistribution is resumed for all Workspaces associated with the Storage Groups of the Workspaces you
selected.

A confirmation message box opens.
5. Click Send.
45

To verify a redistribution:

1. Open the Management Console. (For information on opening the Management Console, see “Opening the
Management Console” on page 13.)
2. Click Workspaces in the System Area.
The Workspaces page opens.
3. Select the Workspace where the redistribution has completed.
4. Click Advanced Commands.
The Advanced Workspace Commands dialog box opens.
5. Select Verify Redistribution.
6. Click Send.

Monitoring Redistributions
You can display detailed information about the progress of redistributions in the Redistribution Monitor tool.
The Redistribution Monitor tool displays a table listing the status of redistributions, the rate and remaining time of
the redistribution, and other information.
To display details about redistribution:

1. Do one of the following:
t

If a redistribution is in process, click the Redistribution Monitor icon in the Status console.

In the Management Console, click Redistribution Monitor under the Tools heading.

From the Workspaces tool, the Media Packs tool, or the Storage Groups tool, click Redistribution
Monitor in the Related Links section.

The Redistribution Monitor tool opens, displaying the information shown and described below.
The Overview section displays the redistribution status, with the number of Workspaces in the process of
redistribution, and the number of Workspaces pending (yet to be redistributed). It shows a progress bar, the
overall system rate (in GB/hr; the rate column in the table displays blocks per hour), the system time
remaining for the redistribution to be complete (same as shown in the table), total GB done, and remaining
GB.

Heading

Description

Name

Media Pack name

Host Name

Host name of the Storage Controller

State

The state of the Media Pack

Status

Redistribution status

Progress

When a redistribution is in under way, displays a progress bar and the percentage of redistribution
currently complete.

Rate (blocks/hr)

Estimated number of blocks that can be moved in one hour

Time Remaining

Estimated amount of time for the redistribution to complete, based on system load, amount of data,
and the rate. This is not a guarantee or promise of how long the redistribution will take.

Blocks to Move

Total number of blocks still to be moved

Blocks Moved

Number of blocks that have been moved so far

Status Time

Time that the last status data was retrieved

Redistribution Status Definitions
The following table lists the Status Messages logged by the System Director Service during a redistribution, and a
brief description of the error. Other Media Pack errors, not strictly related to redistribution, can also occur,
interrupting redistribution or causing it to fail. See “Media Pack Status” on page 75.
Status

Severity

Comments

Initializing
Redistribution

Warning

The Media Pack is determining which blocks will be moved. The redistribution status
is displayed in the Redistribution Monitor page.

Redistributing

Warning

The Media Pack is evenly redistributing data across all the disks in the Storage
Group. The time it takes to redistribute the data depends on the amount of data in the
Storage Group.

Stalled
Redistribution

Warning

The Media Pack is currently stalled while trying to move blocks to other Media
Packs. This might be a temporary condition; if it persists and the overall
redistribution has been determined to be stalled contact Avid Customer Care.

4 Managing Clients
Create a client account for any client type (user, group, or device) that needs to access the Avid NEXIS shared
storage network. Client accounts allow access from users, groups, and devices to the Workspaces on the Avid
NEXIS system, and prevent unauthorized users from accessing other users’ data. When you create client
accounts, you set basic client information, such as user names and passwords.
User accounts have administrative privilege levels, group membership types, and Workspace access. There can be
more user accounts than connected clients. The Avid NEXIS system has a built-in user account named Guest,
which you cannot rename or delete.
Each user and user group account has an associated privilege level that controls their access to files stored in the
network.
Instead of (or in addition to) manually creating accounts, you can configure external authentication to allow
LDAP users to connect to the Avid NEXIS. To import LDAP users, see “Managing LDAP Accounts” on page 54.

Users must have access to at least one Workspace before they can use the shared storage network.
The Avid NEXIS Management Console allows you to create client accounts for each client connected to the
system, and maintains a record of all attached clients. The client accounts are listed in dialog boxes for each client
type.

Some clients might not be able to connect to the shared storage network if the combined bandwidth requirement of
connected components equals the system limit for bandwidth use. For information on monitoring bandwidth use,
see “Monitoring Client Bandwidth” on page 82.

Managing Users
The Users page of the Management Console allows you to create, modify, and delete user accounts; assign users
to specific groups; and manage access privileges for all users.
The default Administrator account is not considered a user, and is not shown in the Users panel. A user is an
account that accesses the Avid NEXIS file system primarily through a client system. The Administrator account is
not such a user. You cannot create a new user account with the name Administrator or administrator.
The Guest account is on every Avid NEXIS system by default, and has no password. Users who log in to the
system with the Guest account do not see all the features and functionality that an Administrator sees.
When you double-click a user (or select a user and click Details), a Details panel opens to the right of the main
Users panel.

Callout

Description

Action button toolbar—Perform actions on selected users

Users list—Lists all users and related information; see “Users List” on page 49

Details panel—Detailed information on the selected users; see “User Details Panel” on page 50

Group membership—Displays information about the group membership for the selected user; see “Creating
Users” on page 51 and “Changing User Details” on page 52

Workspace access—Displays information about the Workspace access for the selected user; see “Creating
Users” on page 51 and “Changing User Details” on page 52

Filter panel—Filter the user list display based on conditions you configure; see “Filtering the Display” on
page 21

Users List
The Users list panel displays the following information.
Heading

Description

Name

Lists the client name

Heading

Description(Continued)

Flags

Indicates the status of client privileges

Bandwidth

Displays the client’s bandwidth allocation.
Setting a bandwidth limit on editing clients, such as Media Composer®, can decrease playback performance
when the Avid NEXIS system is under load.

To sort the information in the Users panel, click any column heading. For more information on sorting items in
columns, see “Sorting Information” on page 21.

User Details Panel
The User Details panel displays the following information.
General Details
Heading

Description

Name

Lists the user name

Password

Lets you change the password (up to 15 ASCII characters) for the user to log in to
the system

Verify

Re-enter the new password to verify it

Bandwidth (MB/sec)

Lets you change the amount of bandwidth the account can use (default is 0, which
means unlimited bandwidth)

User Flag: can resize

When checked, allows the user to resize their Workspaces

User Flag: remote LDAP user

When checked, allows LDAP authentication and group privileges

User Flag: disable user

Disables the user account

Group Membership
Heading

Description

Name

Lists the names of available groups

Type

Lists the user’s membership status for each group (Member or Non-Member)

Workspace Access
Heading

Description

Name

Lists the names of available Workspaces

Access

Lists the user’s access privileges for the Workspace

Effective

Lists the effective access privileges for the selected user for the Workspace

Workspace Access
Heading

Description(Continued)

Reason

Lists the reason for any difference between the access privileges and the effective access
assigned the selected user

Creating Users
To create a user account:

1. From the Management Console home page, click Users in the System section.
The Users page opens.
2. Click New.
The Create User dialog box opens.
3. Enter a password for the user account, the amount of system bandwidth the account can use, and set any user
flags (for more information, see “User Details Panel” on page 50). The user password can be up to 15 ASCII
characters long.
4. (Option) In the Group Membership list, select a group, and click Member to make the user a member in the
group.
By default, new users are listed as “Non-Member” in the Type category for each group. The Non-Member
button is inactive until you assign the user a group membership.
The Group Membership list shows the user as a member of the group.
5. (Option) In the Workspace Access list, select one or more Workspaces and do one of the following:
t

Click Read to set read-only access for the user.
By default, access privileges for new users are listed as “None” in the Access category for each
Workspace. The None button is inactive until you set the access. (For information on permissions for
Workspace access in the network, see “Managing User Access Privileges for Workspaces” on page 41.)

Click Read/Write to set both read and write access for the user.
The Workspace Access list shows the new user access privileges for the selected Workspace.

6. Click Apply.
7. Click Close to close the Create User dialog box and to return to the Users page.
The new user appears in the Users list.

Duplicating Users
To quickly create additional user accounts based on one you have already created and modified, you can duplicate
the user. Duplicated users inherit the bandwidth allocation and access privileges of the accounts from which they
were created.
To duplicate a user account:

1. In the Users list, select the user account you want to duplicate.
2. Click Duplicate.
The Duplicate User dialog box opens.

3. (Option) Modify any of the attributes of the new user. For more information see “Changing User Details” on
page 52.
4. Click Apply to create a new user containing the attributes of the selected user.
The duplicate user appears in the Users page, and the Duplicate User dialog box refreshes to allow you to
duplicate a new user.
The new user account has a default name — user n, where n is an integer that is incremented each time you
click Apply to create another duplicate user account.
5. Click Close to close the Duplicate User dialog box and to return to the Users page.

Changing User Details
You can rename a user account and also change the password, allocated bandwidth, privileges (including
disabling or re-enabling it), group memberships, and the Workspaces the user can access.
You can modify a user account at any time, even when it is being actively used in your work environment, but
Avid recommends that users unmount a Workspace if you are changing their access to it.

You cannot rename or delete the default Guest account, but you can change the password (default is blank; no
password), its group membership and Workspace access, and the user flags.
To modify a user account:

1. From the User list, do one of the following:
t

Select the user account you want to modify, and click Details.

Double-click the user name.

The Details panel displays information about the selected user account.
2. Modify the user options as required. For a list of options, see “Creating Users” on page 51.
3. Modify group membership for the user as required:
t

Click Member to add the user to the group.

Click Non-Member to remove the user from the group.

4. Modify Workspace access for the user as required:
t

Click None to remove Workspace access privileges for the user.

Click Read to set read-only Workspace access for the user.

Click Read/Write to set both read and write Workspace access for the user.

For information on permissions for Workspace access in the network, see “Managing User Access Privileges
for Workspaces” on page 41 and “Setting or Changing Workspace Access Privileges” on page 41.
5. (Option) Click Revert to undo any modifications made to the user information.
6. Click Apply.

Deleting Users
You can delete any user account except the default Guest user. If you want to keep an account but temporarily
prevent its access to the shared storage network, see “Disabling Users” on page 53. Deleting a user that belongs to
a group also removes that user name from the group list. If you remove all the users in a group, the group itself is
not deleted.

If you delete the client account, its connection to the System Director is broken immediately and any
mounted Workspaces are unmounted as soon as they are accessed.
To delete a user account:

1. Ensure that the client account to be deleted is not currently active.
2. From the Users list, select the user account you want to delete.
3. Click Delete.
A dialog box opens, prompting you to confirm that you want to delete the client.
4. Click OK.

Disabling Users
You can remove a user temporarily from the Avid NEXIS shared storage network by disabling the account. This
preserves the client accounts (they remain in the Users list) and allows you to restore their access to the system
later.
To disable a user account:

1. Make sure that the client account to be disabled is not currently active.
2. From the Users list, select the client account you want to disable.
3. Do one of the following:
t

Click Details.

Double-click the client name.

The Details panel displays information about the selected user.
4. Select the “disable user” check box.
5. (Option) Click Revert to undo any modifications made to the user information.
6. Click Apply.
7. Click Close to close the Details window.

Displaying User Details
The Details panel displays all information for the currently selected user.
To see information about a user:

In the User list, click to select a user.
The Users page displays all the information for the selected user. If the Details panel is not visible, click
Details.

To hide the User Details panel:

Click the arrow next to the Details title bar.

To close the User Details panel:

Click Close.

Managing LDAP Accounts
LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) is an Internet protocol that some applications use to look up
information — such as account information, user names, and groups — from a server. The LDAP Sync tool
allows Avid NEXIS administrators to synchronize Avid NEXIS user accounts with existing LDAP user accounts
and to create or modify a large number of users and groups within the Avid NEXIS system.

To use LDAP, you must have DNS configured. See “Configuring DNS Service” on page 105.
The LDAP Sync tool lets you:
•

Display user accounts available within a given LDAP service but not in the Avid NEXIS system, and vice
versa

•

Add new groups and users to the Avid NEXIS system

•

Grant user memberships to groups

•

Remove user membership from a group in Avid NEXIS if the user no longer belongs to that group on the
LDAP server

Users synchronized by the LDAP Sync tool will automatically be added as “Remote” users for authentication to
the LDAP server.
The LDAP Sync Tool lets you search for groups and their users on an LDAP server, synchronize users and groups
accounts by adding or removing users and groups from Avid NEXIS, generate a report of the account actions, and
see a history of the synchronization activity. Configure a connection by entering the LDAP server’s fully qualified
name, port, and user distinguished name and password for authentication.

Users imported by the LDAP Sync Tool cannot log into the Avid NEXIS until it is configured for external
authentication. For more information, see “Configuring External Authentication of Users” on page 4.

Avid NEXIS currently supports only Microsoft Active Directory, and might not be compatible with other LDAP
implementations.

Installing the LDAP Sync Tool
The LDAP Sync Tool is part of the Avid NEXIS software kit, but is not installed by default.
To install the LDAP Sync Tool:

1. In the Management Console, click Installers under the System heading.
2. In the Avid NEXIS Tools section, click the LDAP Sync Tool executable file appropriate for your operating
system.
3. Save the executable file to your computer and install it.

Opening the LDAP Sync Tool
You can use the LDAP Sync Tool to configure LDAP connections. If you have not previously configured a
connection, enter the connection name and other information specific to the particular LDAP server.

Contact your IT administrator to obtain your LDAP login information. Three failed connection attempts
might result in your LDAP user account being disabled.

All connection information is stored locally for the connecting user’s account. To connect from a different
workstation or as another user, re-enter the Avid NEXIS and LDAP login information.
Alternatively, you can configure external authentication on the Avid NEXIS to add the LDAP server. See
“Receiving Notification of System Problems” on page 5.
To open the LDAP Sync Tool:

1. Do one of the following:
t

(Windows) From the Start menu select Avid > LDAPSyncTool > Avid LDAP Sync Tool.

(Mac) Select Applications > Avid NEXIS Tools > LDAP Sync Tool.

The Avid Login dialog box opens.
2. In the Hostname field, enter the host name of the System Director.
3. Enter the administrator password.
4. Click Connect.
t

If this is your first time using this tool and an LDAP server is configured, the LDAP Group Selection list
opens. See “Synchronizing LDAP and Avid NEXIS Accounts” on page 57.

If this is your first time using this tool but no LDAP server is configured, the Connect to LDAP Server
dialog box opens. Enter the information for your LDAP server as shown below and click Connect.

If the tool has been used before on this computer, the main window opens.

Using the LDAP Sync Tool
The Account Synchronizer is the main window of the Avid NEXIS LDAP Sync Tool. Use the Account
Synchronizer to search the LDAP user accounts, synchronize (reconcile) user accounts by adding or removing
users from the Avid NEXIS users list, generate a report of the account actions, and see a history of the accounts.
You can also modify the display of the Account Synchronizer to filter out unneeded account information.

LDAP Sync Tool — Main Window (Account Synchronizer)

All LDAP reconciliation session data, such as reports and history, are stored in the local user’s account. If you log
into another workstation and/or as a different user, this information will not be available.
When you first connect to the Avid NEXIS and the LDAP server, the Account Synchronizer checks the users in
the selected LDAP groups against the Avid NEXIS database and builds a set of actions to reconcile the two. The
main window displays the complete set of groups, using buttons with colors and icons to indicate the
reconciliation status of each group.
Icon

Meaning

The group is in the LDAP database, but not in the Avid NEXIS system. The default action is to add the group
and all users to the Avid NEXIS.
The group is in both LDAP and the Avid NEXIS system, but the users are different between the two:
•

If the user is in LDAP but not the Avid NEXIS system, the user will be added to the Avid NEXIS system.

•

If the user is in the Avid NEXIS system but not in LDAP, the user will be removed from the Avid NEXIS
system.

The user will no longer share privileges with the group. The user will still be able to access the Avid NEXIS system, and
membership in other local or LDAP groups is unaffected.

The group is in both LDAP and the Avid NEXIS system, and all users are reconciled. No action is taken by
default.
The user and/or group is in the Avid NEXIS system, but not LDAP.
default, all users and groups in this entry will be permanently deleted. To prevent this, manually override the
c Bydefault
action before performing a Reconcile action.

The user is in an Avid NEXIS only group.
default, all users and groups in this entry will be permanently deleted. To prevent this, manually override the
c Bydefault
action before performing a Reconcile action.

Click any button to see detailed information about the actions you can perform on users in each group.
Changing the Account Synchronizer Display
You can sort the columns in the display alphabetically, and add or remove LDAP groups from the Account
Synchronizer display.

To sort columns:

Click a column heading to sort the contents of the column alphabetically. Click the heading again to reverse
the sort.

To resize columns:

Click and drag the divider between column headings.

Synchronizing LDAP and Avid NEXIS Accounts
Synchronizing the LDAP/Active Directory and Avid NEXIS user lists consists of the following steps:

•

Selecting LDAP groups

•

Specifying user-specific synchronization actions

•

Performing the synchronization process

The synchronization process only reads the LDAP/Active Directory user list. The Avid NEXIS LDAP Sync Tool
will never alter the LDAP/Active Directory user list.
To add groups to the Account Synchronizer display:

1. Click Select Groups.
The LDAP Group Selection window opens.

On subsequent LDAP Sync Tool sessions, the main window will open after you log in and display the selected
groups from the last session.
2. Select the groups to be synchronized.
To Select This:

Do This:

Single group

Click the group name.

Multiple non-contiguous groups

CTRL-click each name to be selected.

Multiple contiguous groups

Click the first group name, then SHIFT-click the last group name.

All groups

Press CTRL-A.

3. Click Add Selected.
The LDAP Sync Tool builds a list of sync actions for the selected groups, and displays the selected groups in
the main window.
57

4. (Option) To print a report of the account list and selections, click Print.
To remove groups from the Account Synchronizer display:

1. Select one or more rows and click Clear Selected to remove the row from the Group list. Ctrl+click
(Windows and Linux) or Cmd+click (Mac) or Shift+click to select multiple rows.
2. Click Clear All to remove all rows from the Group list.
To modify the default reconciliation actions for individual users:

1. Click the row in the Sync Status column for the appropriate group (each row in the Sync Status column is a
button).
The Descriptive name window opens and displays the user names of all members of the group, as well as
actions to be taken.

2. You can do the following:
t

To show all users, including those which are already reconciled, click Show All.

The “Show All” check box is disabled if all or no users in the group are already reconciled (all users are shown by
default).
t

To override the default action, click the check box in the “Avid NEXIS Sync Action” column to deselect
it.

3. (Option) To print a report of the user list and selections, click Print.
4. Click Close to close the user selection window and return to the main window.
To synchronize LDAP/Active Directory and Avid NEXIS user databases:

Click Synchronized Marked.
The LDAP Sync Tool performs the reconciliation actions, then displays the groups status in the main window.

To refresh selected entries:

1. Select one or more groups from the main window.
To Select This:

Do This:

Single group

Click the group name.

Multiple non-contiguous groups

CTRL-click each name to be selected.

Multiple contiguous groups

Click the first group name, then SHIFT-click the last group name.

All groups

Press CTRL-A.

2. Click Reload All.
Information about the selected groups is retrieved from the LDAP server, reassessed, and displayed in the
main window.
To see and/or print the History log:

1. Click History.
The Synchronization History window opens.
2. (Option) To print the History Log, click Print.
The Print dialog opens.
3. (Option) To clear the History Log, click Delete History.
The Delete History dialog box opens. Click Yes to delete the history.
4. To close the Synchronization History window, click Close.
To exit the LDAP Sync Tool

1. Do one of the following:
t

Click File > Exit

Click Close Window in the upper right corner of the window.

A confirmation window opens.
2. Click Yes.
The application closes.
Importing LDAP Users with Incorrectly Formatted LDAP UIDs
When synchronizing users from the LDAP Synchronization Tool, the User ID (also known as the UID) must
contain characters that Avid NEXIS allows for valid user names. The entry in the User ID column is used as the
Avid NEXIS Username. User names and passwords must use only ASCII characters. See “Guidelines for Names
and Passwords” on page 23 for more information about valid and invalid characters.
If the User ID contains any invalid characters:
•

The user will not be added to Avid NEXIS

•

The synchronization for the group is aborted

•

Any subsequent user accounts in the group are not reconciled

In such cases, do one of the following:
•

Create the user in Avid NEXIS with a user name that does not contain these illegal characters, and manually
add them to groups.

•

Update the user entry in the LDAP database with a UID that contains no illegal characters, then run the LDAP
Sync Tool again to reconcile the users.

Disconnecting and Reconnecting the LDAP Servers
The connection status button icons indicate whether you are connected to the Avid NEXIS or LDAP servers:
Connected to Avid NEXIS

Disconnected from Avid NEXIS

Connected to LDAP server

Disconnected from LDAP server

You can use the connection status buttons to manually disconnect from and reconnect to the LDAP server. (If the
connection to the Avid NEXIS is broken, close the LDAP Sync Tool, then restart it and log in again.) The button
icons change depending on your current connection status.

You are disconnected from the Avid NEXIS or LDAP servers if their respective session time-out periods are
exceeded.
To disconnect from the LDAP server:

Click LDAP.
The LDAP Sync Tool disconnects from the LDAP server, and the LDAP connection status button icon
changes to Disconnected.

To connect (or reconnect) to the LDAP server:

1. Click LDAP.
The Connect to LDAP Server window appears.

The text fields will be filled in for you if you have previously logged into the LDAP server within the same session.
2. Click Connect.
The LDAP Sync Tool connects to the LDAP server and the Connection status icon changes to green
(connected).

Managing Groups
Groups allow you to organize and manage users based on their common properties, such as by Workspace access,
LDAP users, or other criteria.

Callout

Description

Action button toolbar—Perform actions on selected user groups

Details panel—Detailed information on the selected user group; see page 61

User membership panel—Displays information about the membership for the selected user group; see “Adding
User Groups” on page 62 and “Modifying User Group Details” on page 62

User groups list—Lists all user groups and related information

Filter panel—Filter the user list display based on conditions you configure; see “Filtering the Display” on
page 21

Workspace access panel—Displays information about the Workspace access for the selected user group; see
“Adding User Groups” on page 62 and “Modifying User Group Details” on page 62

The Group Details panel displays the following information.

Panel

Heading

Description

Group Details

Name

Lists the user group name

User Membership

Name

Lists the names of all users

Type

Lists the user’s membership status for each user group (Member or NonMember)

Membership Count Lists the number of groups to which each user belongs (up to a maximum of 15)
Workspace Access

Name

Lists the names of available Workspaces

Access

Lists the access privileges for the selected user group

Adding User Groups
To add a group account:

1. From the Management Console home page, click Groups in the System section.
The Groups page opens.
2. Click New.
The Create Group dialog box opens.
3. Type a user group name in the Name text box.
If a user group with the name already exists, an error message tells you to type a new name.

For information on valid and invalid characters, see “Guidelines for Names and Passwords” on page 23.
4. (Option) In the User Membership list, select a user and click Member to make the user a member in the user
group. A user can belong to up to 15 user groups.
By default, new users are listed as “Non-Member” in the Type category for each user group. As a result, the
Non-Member button is inactive until membership is set.
5. (Option) In the Workspace Access list, select a Workspace or click Select All to select all Workspaces, and do
one of the following:
t

Click Read to set read-only Workspace access for the user group.

Click Read/Write to set both read and write Workspace access for the user group.

By default, access privileges for new user groups are listed as “None” in the Access category for each
Workspace. As a result, the None button is inactive until access is set. (For information on permissions for
Workspace access in the network, see “Setting or Changing Workspace Access Privileges” on page 41.)
6. Click Apply.
7. Click Close to close the Create Group dialog box and to return to the Groups dialog box.
The new user group appears in the Groups list.

Modifying User Group Details
You can rename a user group account, change user membership, and modify Workspace access at any time, even
when it is being actively used in your work environment.

To modify a user group account:

1. From the Groups list, do one of the following:
t

Select the user group account you want to modify, and click Details.

Double-click the user group name.

The Details panel displays information about the selected user group account.
2. Modify the user group name as required.
If a user group with the name already exists, an error message tells you to type a new name.

For information on valid and invalid characters, see “Guidelines for Names and Passwords” on page 23.
3. Modify user membership for the user group as required:
t

Click Member to make the user a member in the user group.

Click Non-Member to remove the user from the user group.

4. Modify Workspace access for the user group as required:
t

Click None to remove Workspace access privileges for the user group.

Click Read to set read-only Workspace access for the user group.

Click Read/Write to set both read and write Workspace access for the user group.

Deleting User Groups
You can delete any user group account except the default Guest group (of which the default user account, Guest, is
a member). Deleting a group does not delete the user accounts who are members of the group.
To delete a user group account:

1. Ensure that the user group account to be deleted is not currently active.
2. From the Groups list, select the user group account you want to delete.
3. Click Delete.
A dialog box opens, prompting you to confirm that you really want to delete the user group.
4. Click OK.

Displaying User Group Details
The Details panel displays all information for the currently selected user group.
To see detailed information about a User group:

In the Group list, click to select a user group.
The Groups page displays all the information for the selected user group. If the Details panel is not visible,
click Details.

To hide the User Membership or Workspace Access panel:

Click the arrow next to the Details title bar or the User Access title bar.

To close the Details panel:

Click Details in the toolbar, or click Close at the bottom of the Details panel.

Managing Bandwidth Limits
The Bandwidth Limits panel lets you display and manage the bandwidth used by clients that can connect to the
Avid NEXIS system. Some client applications try to use as much bandwidth as possible, potentially throttling
other users of the system. To control this, you can modify the maximum amount of bandwidth a client can use.

Callout

Description

Action button toolbar—Perform actions on selected Bandwidth Limit entries

List—Lists all client devices and related information; see “Bandwidth Limits Panel” on page 64

Details panel—Detailed information on the Bandwidth Limits; see “Displaying Bandwidth Limits Details” on
page 65

Filter panel—Filter the display based on options you configure; see “Filtering the Display” on page 21

Bandwidth Limits Panel
The Bandwidth Limits panel displays the following information.

Heading

Description

Name

Lists the client name

Bandwidth

Displays the current bandwidth for the client

You might need to set a bandwidth limit for a device such as an Avid AirSpeed server if it is consuming more
bandwidth than expected.

Bandwidth Mode

Lists the mode used to allocate bandwidth (only Device Bandwidth is available)

Description

Displays the user-supplied device description, if any

Displaying Bandwidth Limits Details
The Bandwidth Limits Details panel displays the same information as the Bandwidth Limits list.
To see detailed information about a client or device:

In the Bandwidth Limits list, double-click a name.

Adding a Bandwidth Limit Entry
Bandwidth limit entries are created in two ways: either manually (you create them) or automatically, when a client
connects to the Avid NEXIS for the first time. You can prevent the automatic creation of entries in the Preferences
page on the Management Console by selecting Force Manual Device Creation (see “Configuring
Management Console Preferences” on page 25).
For automatically created entries, the default bandwidth is determined by the Preferences page setting called
Default Bandwidth for Auto Created Devices (MB/sec). The default value of zero (0) means the client has no
limit (unlimited bandwidth).
To create a Bandwidth Limit specification for a client:

1. From the Management Console home page, click Bandwidth Limits in the System section.
The Bandwidth Limits page opens.
2. Click New.
3. Type the name of the device in the Name text box.
If a device with the same name already exists, an error message is displayed.

For information on valid and invalid characters, see “Guidelines for Names and Passwords” on page 23.
4. (Option) Type a value in the Bandwidth text box to set the amount of read/write bandwidth (in MB/s) to
allocate to the device. A value of 0 (zero) indicates that bandwidth will not be metered.
5. (Option) Type a description in the Description text box.
6. Click Apply.
The Bandwidth Limits list refreshes and displays the new client.
7. Repeat steps 2 through 6 to add more clients.
8. When finished, click Close.

Changing a Bandwidth Limit Entry
You can rename an entry or change the allocated bandwidth or description at any time. Any changes take effect
immediately, even if the user is connected.
To modify a Bandwidth Limit entry:

1. From the Bandwidth Limits list, select the entry to modify, and do one of the following:
t

Click Details.

Double-click the name.

The Details panel displays information about the selected client.
2. Modify the options as required.
3. (Option) Click Revert to undo any modifications.
4. Click Apply.

Deleting a Bandwidth Limit Entry
You can delete a Bandwidth Limit entry for user-created clients or any entry you have modified.
To delete a Bandwidth Limit entry:

1. Make sure that the client account is not currently connected.
2. From the Bandwidth Limits list, select the entry to delete.
3. Click Delete.
In the Delete Confirmation dialog box click Yes to confirm that you want to delete the entry.
4. Click OK.
The entry is deleted and removed from the Bandwidth Limits list.

5 Managing Avid NEXIS Hardware
You perform all storage management operations from the Avid Management Console, which allows you to add,
remove, configure, and manage your hardware.
For instructions on replacing failed hardware, see the Setup and Maintenance Guide for your hardware model.

For an overview of the Management Console and information about how to start the tool, see “Opening the
Management Console” on page 13.

Managing Engines
The Engines page of the Management Console allows you to see details and to monitor the status of all Engines
connected to the shared storage network.

Engine List
The Engine list includes the following information.
Heading

Description

Product Name

Displays the model name of the Engine or System Director Appliance

Product Part Number

Displays the Avid part number for the Engine or System Director Appliance

Enclosure ID

Displays the number (from 00 - 99) assigned to the Engine. In a lab with many Avid NEXIS
systems, assigning an Enclosure ID can help you identify a particular Engine.
The Enclosure ID is displayed in the window on the left side of the Engine.

Serial Number

Serial number of the Engine

Status Time

The last time the System Director logged the status of the Engine

Status

Displays changes in the working status due to upgrade installation or failure.

Available

Lists the number of unbound Media Packs in each Engine

Spare

Lists the number of spare Media Packs in each Engine (the Media Pack is bound but not part of
a Storage Group)

Active

Lists the number of active Media Packs in each Engine

Mode

Indicates the function of the Engine, and can be one of the following values:
•

Embedded — Running as the embedded System Director and providing storage

•

External — Running as the System Director Appliance (does not provide storage)

•

Expansion — Running as a storage Engine only

Displaying Engine Details
To see information about an Engine:

1. Do one of the following:
t

Select an Engine and click Details.

Double-click an Engine name.

The Details panel displays all information for the Engine. The panel is divided into sections:
-

Engine Details — displays the same information as in the Engine list

Storage Controllers — displays information about the Storage Controllers in the Engine. Within this
section you can select one or more controllers to upgrade, or open the Agent page relevant to the
controllers by clicking Info.

Media Packs— displays information also available in the Media Packs list. From this section you can
select any number of Media Packs and open the Agent to the relevant page by clicking Info.

Disks — displays information about the disks in the Engine. From this section you can select one or more
Media Packs and open the Agent to the relevant page by clicking Info.

You can sort the information in the details sections by clicking any column heading. Also see “Sorting
Information” on page 21.

You can see more detailed information on Engine components by using the Avid Agent tool. See “Avid NEXIS
Agent” on page 101.
To close the Details panel:

Click Details in the toolbar, or click Close at the bottom of the Details panel.

Engine and Storage Controller Status
Engines or Storage Controllers can have one of the following status values, or no value (empty field). If the field
is empty, the Engine or Storage Controller is operating normally.
Status

Description

Installing

The Avid NEXIS software is being installed

Install failed

The software installation failed. Contact Customer Care.

Install waiting

The installation is in progress

Install needed

A newer version of the Avid NEXIS software is available

Install downloading

The Avid NEXIS software kit is downloading from the Avid support site.

Install Phase (1, 2, 3)

The software installation is in the specified phase

Invalid Configuration

An unsupported Storage Controller is present in the Engine. Remove it and replace it
with a valid Storage Controller for the Engine type. For more information, see the
Setup and Maintenance Guide for the Engine model.

Upgrading an Engine
When new releases of the Avid NEXIS software are available, you can upgrade the Avid NEXIS clients and
Engines to take advantage of new features and bug fixes.
68

Typically, you upgrade the Avid NEXIS clients first, then upgrade the Avid NEXIS system. (For information on
upgrading clients, see the Avid NEXIS Client Manager Installation and User’s Guide.)
You upgrade the system components through either the Management Console or the Agent, as follows:
System Component

How to Upgrade

ISIS 1000, single-Engine system running v5.x

Use the Agent

ISIS 1000, multi-Engine system running v5.x

Use the Agent for the Engine running the System Director,
then use the Management Console for the other Engines
To identify the System Director, see “Engine List” on page 67

Avid NEXIS, single Engine running v6.x

Use the Agent

Avid NEXIS, multiple Engines with embedded System
Director, running v6.x

Use the Agent for the Engine running the embedded System
Director, then use the Management Console for the other
Engines, if any. To identify the System Director, see “Engine
List” on page 67.

System Director Appliance

Use the Agent to upgrade the SDA, then use the Management
Console to upgrade the Engines

In a multi-Engine configuration, all the Engines (all Storage Controllers) and the System Director Appliance, if
applicable, must be running the same version before the system can resume normal operation. Upgrading an
Engine or the System Director Appliance causes it to reboot; plan to do upgrades during a maintenance window
with no client I/O occurring.
To upgrade through the Avid NEXIS Agent:

1. On your local computer, download the new software from Avid, using your support account.
2. Unzip the software on your computer.
3. In the Management Console, open the Engines page and identify the Engine running the System Director, or
the System Director Appliance. Double-click the name to open its Details panel.
4. Double-click the Host Name to open the Agent for the System Director Engine or the System Director
Appliance (for more information, see “Avid NEXIS Agent” on page 101).
5. In the Agent, click Install under the Configuration heading.
t

If the System Director is running on an Engine, confirm that the box next to Run System Director is
checked (to verify that this is the System Director Engine).

On a System Director Appliance, this check box is not present.

6. Click Choose File and navigate to the location of the software kit contents that you just unzipped.
7. Click Submit.
To complete the upgrade, the system will reboot. A message is displayed indicating the time remaining until
the system is again available. You can then log back in to the Agent or the Management Console and confirm
the system is running the new version. The version information is visible at the bottom of the Management
Console (see “Understanding the Management Console Interface” on page 14), and in the Agent (on the
System tab under Versioning).

To upgrade through the Management Console:

1. In the Management Console, click Engines.
2. Select an Engine in the shared storage system (not the Engine running the System Director) and click
Upgrade.
The Upgrade Storage Controllers dialog box opens. (Upgrading an Engine uses the same code path as
upgrading the Storage Controller.)
3. Select the AvidNEXISSetup_nnnnn.bin file from the list in the right column.
The Command text box displays the location of the upgrade installer.

Do not enter or change any text in the Command or Options fields except under the supervision of qualified
Avid Customer Care personnel. Doing so can result in system degradation and data loss.
4. Click Upgrade.
You can monitor the progress of the upgrade in the Details panel. To complete the upgrade, the system will
reboot. A message is displayed indicating the time remaining until the system is again available. You can then
log back in to the Management Console and confirm the system is running the new version. The version
information is visible at the bottom of the Management Console (see “Understanding the
Management Console Interface” on page 14), and in the Agent (on the System tab under Versioning).
5. Repeat this procedure until all Engines (and the System Director Appliance, if applicable) are upgraded and
running the same software version.

Removing Engines from the Engine List
To replace an Engine, use the Management Console to remove the connection history of the inactive or
inoperative Engine from the list in the Engines page. After the Engine is removed from the Avid NEXIS file
system, you can physically remove it from the network.
Removing an Engine from an Avid NEXIS system requires that you delete any Workspaces in the Storage Group
supported by the Media Pack in the Engine. If the Storage Group contains multiple Media Packs (one from two or
more Engines), delete all the Workspaces in that shared Storage Group before you can remove an Engine.
For information on removing Engines from the network, see the Avid NEXIS Setup and Maintenance Guide.
To remove an Engine from the Engine list:

1. In the Engine list, select the Engine to remove.
2. Click Remove Status.
The Engine is removed from the Engine list.

If you remove an active Engine by mistake, the System Director restores the Engine to the Engine list the next time
it polls the shared storage network (usually within 20 seconds).

Managing Storage Controllers
The Storage Controllers page of the Management Console allows you to see details and to monitor the status of all
Storage Controllers connected to the shared storage network.

Storage Controllers List
The Storage Controllers list includes the following information:
Heading

Description

Host Name

The name of the Storage Controller

If the System Director is running on this controller, the controller name is also the System
Director name.

Status Time

The date and time of the currently displayed information. To update the data, click Refresh.

Status

The Storage Controller status. Storage Controllers have the same status values as Engines; for
more information, see “Engine and Storage Controller Status” on page 68.

Avid NEXIS Version

The Avid NEXIS version running on the Storage Controller

BMC Version

The BMC firmware version running on the Storage Controller

Controller Serial Number

The manufacturer serial number of the controller

Engine Serial Number

The serial number of the Engine that contains this Storage Controller

Free Memory

Displays the amount of memory not in use

Total Memory

Displays the total amount of available memory

Storage Controller Details
To see information about an Storage Controller:

1. Do one of the following:
t

Select a Storage Controller and click Details.

Double-click the Storage Controller name.

The Details panel displays all information for the Storage Controller. The panel is divided into sections:
-

Details — displays the same information as in the Storage Controller list

Media Packs— displays information also available in the Media Packs list. In this section you can select
one or more (or all) Media Packs and open the Agent to the relevant page by clicking Info.

IP Addresses— displays the IP addresses assigned to the Storage Controller. You can select an IP address
and click Info to open the relevant Agent page.

You can sort the information in the Details panel by clicking any column heading. For more information on
sorting items in columns, see “Sorting Information” on page 21.
To close the Details panel:

Click Details in the toolbar, or click Close at the bottom of the Details panel.

Upgrading a Storage Controller
When new releases of the Avid NEXIS software are available, you can upgrade the Engine to take advantage of
new features and bug fixes.
Typically, you upgrade the Avid NEXIS clients first, then upgrade the Avid NEXIS system. (For information on
upgrading clients, see the Avid NEXIS Client Manager Installation and User’s Guide.)
71

In a multi-Engine configuration, the Storage Controllers in all Engines must be running the same version before
the system can resume normal operation. Upgrading the Storage Controller causes the system to reboot; plan to
do upgrades during a maintenance window with no client I/O occurring.
To upgrade the Storage Controllers:

1. On your local computer, download the new software from the Avid support site, using your support account.
2. Unzip the software on your computer.
3. In the Management Console, click Storage Controllers.
4. Select the Storage Controller to upgrade.
5. Click Upgrade.
The Upgrade Storage Controllers dialog box opens.
6. Select the upgrade installer from the list in the right column.
The Command text box displays the location of the upgrade installer.

Do not enter any text in the Command or Options fields except under the supervision of qualified Avid
support personnel. Doing so can result in system degradation and data loss.
7. Click Upgrade.
You can monitor the progress of the upgrade in the Details panel. To complete the upgrade, the system will
reboot. A message is displayed indicating the time remaining until the system is again available. You can then
log back in to the Management Console and confirm the system is running the new version. The version
information is visible at the bottom of the Management Console (see “Understanding the
Management Console Interface” on page 14), and in the Agent (on the System tab under Versioning).

Managing Media Packs
The Media Packs tool coordinates and controls the activity of Media Packs and allows you to bind and unbind
Media Packs and perform maintenance operations.

Action button toolbar — Perform actions on selected Media Packs

Media Packs list — Lists all configured Media Packs and related information; see “Media Packs List” on page 73

Details panel — Displays detailed information on the selected Media Packs; see “Displaying Media Pack Details” on
page 74

Filter panel — Filters the Media Packs list display based on conditions you configure; see “Filtering the Display” on
page 21

Media Packs List
The Media Packs list contains the following information. If you cannot see a column, it might be hidden. See
“Showing and Hiding Columns” on page 20).
Heading

Description

Name

Displays the name (created automatically) of each Media Pack bound to the system

Host Name

Displays the name of the Storage Controller

Status Time

Lists the last time the System Director logged the Media Pack’s status

Status

Displays any change in the working status logged by the System Director (for a description of status
messages, see “Media Pack Status” on page 75)

State

Displays the Media Pack state (Spare, Bound, Unbound)

Heading

Description(Continued)

Uptime

Displays the amount of time the Media Pack has been running (days:hours:min:sec)

Capacity

Displays the total capacity of the Media Pack

Usable

Displays the amount of storage space remaining

Used

Displays the amount of used space

Engine Serial

Displays the serial number of the Engine

Storage Group

Displays the Storage Group, if any, to which the Media Packs are allocated.

You can organize the information in the Media Packs list by showing additional columns or by sorting or filtering
displayed items. For more information on modifying the display, see “Customizing the Management Console
Display” on page 20.
A colored icon precedes the name of each Media Pack, indicating its status, as follows:
Icon Color

Description

White

Media Pack is unbound (not linked to the Avid NEXIS file system)

Green

Media Pack is bound to the file system and operating normally

Yellow

Media Pack might be experiencing degraded performance

Blue

An installation or software upgrade is in progress, or the Media Pack is not bound

Red

Problem within the Media Pack, such as a disk failure

Displaying Media Pack Details
To see detailed information about a Media Pack:

1. In the Media Packs list, select a Media Pack.
2. Do one of the following:
t

Click Details.

Double-click the Media Pack name.

The Details panel displays all the information for the selected Media Pack, such as the Storage Controller that
manages the Media Pack and details about its disks.

If a Media Pack contains a replacement drive of a different size, the actual disk size is shown in the Disks list in
the Details panel, but the Media Pack uses only the amount of space that equals the smaller disk sizes. You can
replace a failed 2TB drive with a 6TB drive, but not vice versa.
To close the Details panel:

Click Details in the toolbar, or click Close at the bottom of the Details panel.

Media Pack Status
The Status column in the Media Packs list reports the status of the Media Packs logged by the System Director.
(The Status line in the Details panel reports the same information.) As long as the Media Pack maintains a
working status, the Management Console shows no entries in the Status field. When a problem occurs or when the
status of the Media Pack changes, the Management Console refreshes the display.
A Media Pack can have one of the following status values, in alphabetical order.
Status

Description

Disk Failure

The hard disk error threshold for a disk has been exceeded and the Media Pack has set the
disk offline. The default threshold is 25 hard errors.

Disk full

One or more Media Packs in a Storage Group has reached its full capacity. Even if some of
the Media Packs still have available space, the Storage Group is considered full as soon as
one Media Pack is filled. As data is written and deleted, some Media Packs are filled
before others. During redistribution, the data is redistributed evenly among the Media
Packs.

Disk Performance Degraded

Disk Performance Degraded, because either:
•

A disk has logged a Long Command Time. The Avid NEXIS system periodically
clears this log. The Long Command Time counter is also cleared during a reboot.

•

A disk has reached 75% of its hard error threshold. Reboot the Engine to clear the
status.

Drive missing

A drive is missing from the Media Pack

Drive rebuilding

The contents of a data drive are being rebuilt from the other drives in the Media Pack
(after you replace a failed drive)

Missing Disks - unbound

The System Director starts a Storage Manager process for every Media Pack that the
Engine can support. If the Engine is not fully populated, the Storage Managers report the
missing Media Pack drives.

Network degraded

The IP interfaces on the Media Pack have failed or the Media Pack has experienced at
least a 10% error rate (usually due to lost packets), indicating a network communication
problem (possibly a cable or switch issue).
Although the Media Pack is reporting and detecting the errors, it is usually not the Media
Pack itself that is the problem. Each Media Pack has an associated Storage Manager that
could be experiencing a problem.

Offline

A Media Pack was set offline by the system.

Rectifying Files

The Avid NEXIS system is cleaning up deleted files and verifying existing files on Media
Packs. This occurs every time the system restarts and every 10 days thereafter, and also
when manually initiated. Each Media Pack staggers its process so that they do not run
simultaneously.

Displaying Drive Details
You can display detailed information about the drives in a Media Pack, spare drives in the Engine (if applicable),
and the system drives.

To see detailed information about a Media Pack drive:

1. In the Media Packs list, select a Media Pack.
2. Do one of the following:
t

Click Details.

Double-click the Media Pack name.

The Details panel displays all the information for the selected Media Pack, such as the Storage Controller that
manages the Media Pack and details about its disks.

If you replace a failed 2TB drive with a 6TB drive, the actual size is shown in the Disks list in the Details panel,
but the Media Pack treats it as another 2TB drive. You cannot replace a failed 6TB drive with a 2TB drive.
To see detailed information about a spare or system drive:

1. In the Engines list, select an Engine.
2. Do one of the following:
t

Click Details.

Double-click the Engine name.

The Details panel displays all the information for the selected Engine, such as its Storage Controller, Media
Packs, spare drives (if applicable) and system drives.

If you replace a drive with one of a different size, the actual disk size is shown in the Disks list in the Details panel,
but the Media Pack uses only the space equal to the other disks. You can replace a failed 2TB drive with a 6TB
drive, but not vice versa.
To close the Details panel:

Click Details in the toolbar, or click Close at the bottom of the Details panel.

Disk Status
The individual drives in a Media Pack and the system drives can have the following status values:
Status

Description

Capacity Insufficient

(Applies to system drives only). The system drive is not the appropriate size for the Engine it is
in. Replace the drive with one of the minimum required size.

More detailed information for this state is displayed in the Agent. See “Advanced Tab” on
page 103.

Empty

(Applies to system drives only). The system requires two blank metadata (system) drives. Insert
another blank drive of the same capacity as the other one.

Failed

The drive has failed and must be replaced. You cannot reuse it. See the Avid NEXIS Setup and
Maintenance Guide for your Avid NEXIS model for instructions on replacing a drive.
You must replace a failed system drive with a drive of the same capacity.

Within a Media Pack, you can replace a smaller drive with a larger one (for example, use a 6TB
drive to replace a failed 2TB drive), but the Media Pack will use only 2TB of space on the drive.
You cannot replace a larger drive with a smaller one in a Media Pack.

Status

Description(Continued)

Failing

(Applies to Media Pack drives only.) The drive is failing. Although there is no way to tell how
much time you have before the drive fails, this status alerts you to obtain a replacement drive as
soon as possible. To check the performance of Media Pack drives, see “Statistics Tab” on
page 103.

Foreign

For Media Pack drives, the drive possibly came from a different Engine. To use it, clear the
foreign drive configuration; see “Foreign Disk Error” on page 77.

n
Initializing

The Engine is starting up (for example, after a reboot) and performing internal housekeeping.

n
Missing/Empty

For system drives, more detailed information for this state is displayed in the Agent. See
“Advanced Tab” on page 103.

A drive is missing or the slot is empty. The serial number of any missing drive is displayed with
the status, to help you identify which drive is missing. You can put it into any empty slot.

For system drives, more detailed information for this state is displayed in the Agent. See
“Advanced Tab” on page 103.

Operational

The drive is functioning normally.

Partition Unsupported

(Applies to system drives only). The drive is partitioned for a different Engine than the one it is
in, or some partitions are missing or the wrong size. Remove the drive and insert a blank drive or
one partitioned correctly for this Engine.

More detailed information for this state is displayed in the Agent. See “Advanced Tab” on
page 103.

Rebuilding

The data on the drive is being rebuilt from the other drives in the Media Pack, or from the other
system drive. This status occurs after you replace a failed drive.

Spare

The drive is a spare. To see all the drives in an Engine, see “Displaying Drive Details” on
page 75.

n
Unsupported

More detailed information for this state is displayed in the Agent. See “Advanced Tab” on
page 103.

The drive was not purchased from Avid and cannot be used in the Engine.

Foreign Disk Error
The Foreign Disk message is displayed in the following cases:
•

When a drive came from a different Media Pack (usually from a different Engine)

•

When the drive has been out of the Engine for longer than five minutes, and replaced by a spare drive, then
reinserted into the same Engine.
(If a drive is removed accidentally, the Media Pack requests its return for five minutes. If it is reinserted
within those five minutes, the Media Pack resumes normal operation. After five minutes, if it was replaced by
a spare drive and then reinserted, it is marked Foreign. If a spare drive did not replace the removed drive, the
removed drive can rejoin the Media Pack at any time.)

You cannot clear the foreign configuration on a system drive. If a system drive is reporting a status of foreign,
contact Avid Customer Care.
If the drive has failed, you cannot reuse the drive even if you clear the configuration.

Clearing the foreign disk configuration deletes all data on the drive, and is a permanent operation. If you
are using a drive that came from a different Media Pack, make sure the original Media Pack no longer
needs it.
To replace media drives, see the Avid NEXIS Setup and Maintenance guide for your Avid NEXIS model.
To clear the Foreign Drive status:

1. Open the Agent.
2. Click Advanced, then Disks.
3. Select the drive, then click Clear Foreign Config.
4. A dialog box opens, warning that continuing with this operation will permanently destroy all data on the
drive. Type the words Destroy My Data in the text field and click OK to continue.
5. After the old configuration is cleared, the drive gets assigned to any Media Pack that needs one, or becomes a
spare (if supported in this Engine type).

Unbinding Media Packs from the Avid NEXIS File System
To move a Media Pack to a different Engine, you remove the Media Pack from its current Storage Group (if it
belongs to one), and then unbind it on the current system. Then you can physically pull the drives and insert them
into another Engine.

[SSENG-5728]You cannot unbind a Media Pack if it has any drive errors or is missing drives. Replace missing or
failed drives.
Removing a Media Pack starts a redistribution of all its data to other Media Packs in the same Storage Group. For
more information, see “Removing Media Packs from Storage Groups” on page 31. When the Media Pack has
been removed, its state changes to Spare - Bound.
All the Media Packs you want to unbind must be in the Spare state.
Avid strongly recommends that you wait until any in-process redistributions are complete before unbinding Media
Packs. Redistribution can take a long time; use the Redistribution Monitor tool to track the progress and estimate
the time remaining (see “Monitoring Redistributions” on page 46).
To unbind a Media Pack from the Avid NEXIS file system:

1. Select the Media Pack you want to unbind.
2. Click Unbind.
A confirmation dialog appears.
3. Click Yes to confirm.
The selected Media Pack is removed from the Avid NEXIS file system and its state changes to Unbound. You
can then physically remove the media drives from the Engine. When you insert them into a different Engine,
they are reported as foreign; clear the Foreign Disk Error on each drive (see “Foreign Disk Error” on
page 77). The new Engine can then use them to create a new Media Pack.

Clearing Network Degraded Status Messages
Network Degraded status indicates that the Media Pack has detected a high number of errors (see “Media Pack
Status” on page 75). If correcting the problem does not clear the status messages, use the Issue Command button
to clear the messages and reset the error count.

Correct the cause of the Network Degraded status messages before you clear them from the
Management Console.
To clear all Network Degraded messages in the Media Packs list:

1. Select one or more Media Packs from the Media Packs list.
You can use the Shift and Control keys to select multiple items. For more information, see “Selecting Items”
on page 23.
2. Click Issue Command.
3. Click Clear Network Degraded, and then click Send.

Removing Orphaned Media Packs
Orphaned Media Packs are connected to a file system that is not currently in use, for example when a Media Pack
is moved from one Avid NEXIS environment to another, or when you create a new active partition on a system
that already includes bound Media Packs. The “Force Remove” command removes the file system binding from
the Media Pack and makes it available for use in the current file system.

The Force-Remove command erases all data stored on the Media Packs. Do not remove orphaned Media
Packs unless you are certain they contain no data you want to save.
To remove orphaned Media Packs:

1. From the Management Console home page, click Media Packs.
The Media Packs tool opens.
2. Select the orphaned Media Pack.
3. Click Force Remove.
A message warns you that removing Media Packs erases all data on the component.
4. Click Yes.
The Force Removal Text Confirmation dialog box opens.
5. Type Remove in the text box, and then click Remove.
The orphaned Media Pack is unbound from the Avid NEXIS file system and removed from the Orphaned
Media Pack list.

Cleaning Up Files (Manually Rectifying Files)
Media Packs periodically check the status of stored files, cleaning up deleted files and verifying existing files.
This process, called “rectifying files,” occurs randomly and asynchronously during normal system operation to
minimize any potential decrease in system performance. The Status column in the Media Packs list indicates this
operation.
Media Packs also rectify files when starting or restarting. When this happens, data stored on the Media Packs
might not be in sync with the data in the file system itself. Also, if a client cannot communicate with the Media
Pack, there can appear to be more data allocated to the Media Packs than the file system has allocated. To correct
this, you can manually send the Media Pack a command to rectify its files.

To rectify files:

1. Select one or more Media Packs from the Media Packs list.
Use the Shift and Control keys to select multiple items. For more information, see “Selecting Items” on
page 23.
2. Click Issue Command.
The Issue Media Packs(s) Command dialog box opens.
3. Click Initiate Block Rectify, and then click Send.
The system rectifies files on the selected Media Packs and changes the status in the Media Packs list to
Rectifying Files.

6 Managing Connections
This section describes how to monitor and manage connections to the Avid NEXIS shared storage network.

Monitoring System Connection Status
The Connection Status page allows you to see the status of all connections to the shared storage network.
To open the Connection Status page:
From the Management Console home page, click Connection Status in the Connect section.

Callout

Description

Action button toolbar—Perform actions on selected components

Connections list—List connected components and related information; see “Connection Status Descriptions”
on page 81

Connection Status Descriptions
The Connection Status dialog box lists information about everything — both active and inactive — connected to
the shared storage network. The following table describes the information displayed in the dialog box.
Heading

Description

Name

The name of the component

Heading

Description(Continued)

An internal numeric identifier used by the System Director to represent the component; these
identifiers are assigned when a component first contacts the System Director

The operating system running on the component

Type

The category or principal function of the component, such as Client or Storage Manager (every
Media Pack has an associated Storage Manager)

License

The number of licenses allotted to the component

Messages/Second

The number of messages per second being sent between the component and the system

Last Seen

For inactive components, displays the date and time when the component last sent its status to the
System Director; for active components, displays a zero (0) as the default value

For active components, displays the date and time when the component last sent its status to the
System Director.
The System Director removes information about components that have not been seen for a week,
unless the component’s bandwidth limit is configured to custom values or the Default Device
Bandwidth option in the Preferences dialog box is selected

To sort the information in the Connection Status dialog box, click any column heading. For more information on
sorting items in columns, see “Sorting Information” on page 21.

Monitoring Client Bandwidth
The Client Bandwidth page allows you to monitor system usage, including total system bandwidth use and
bandwidth consumption of each connected system.
To open the Client Bandwidth page, on the Management Console home page, click Client Bandwidth in the
Connect section.
The System Read Bandwidth and System Write Bandwidth rows in the Client Bandwidth page show total system
read bandwidth (green bar) and total system write bandwidth (red bar).
Below the System Read Bandwidth and System Write Bandwidth rows is a list of all active system components
showing their current activity and their system identification, as described in the following figure and table:

Callout

Description

System bandwidth scale buttons—Increase or decrease the scale of the system bandwidth graph; see “Scaling
the Bandwidth List Graph Display” on page 84

System bandwidth read and write graphs—Graphic display of system read (green) and write (red) bandwidth;
see “Client Bandwidth List” on page 83

Device bandwidth scale buttons—Increase or decrease the scale of the device bandwidth graph; see “Scaling
the Bandwidth List Graph Display” on page 84

Device bandwidth read and write graphs—Graphic display of device read (green) and write (red) bandwidth;
see “Client Bandwidth List” on page 83

Client Bandwidth List
The following table describes the information displayed in the Client Bandwidth page.
Heading

Description

System Read Bandwidth

The value of the total system bandwidth currently in use for reading files

System Write Bandwidth

The value of the total system bandwidth currently in use for writing to files

System Name

The name of the system specified during the System Director configuration

Read BW

For the listed system components, the value of the bandwidth currently in use for reading
files

Write BW

For the listed system components, the value of the bandwidth currently in use for writing to
files

Bandwidth

For the listed system components, graphical display of bandwidth usage:
•

Read (green bar)

•

Write (red bar)

To sort the information in the Bandwidth Monitor list, click any column heading. For more information on sorting
items in columns, see “Sorting Information” on page 21.

Scaling the Bandwidth List Graph Display
The Bandwidth Monitor list represents bandwidth consumption for the network and for individual system
components in the form of horizontal bars in a graph display. You can adjust the scale of the graph to make it
easier to monitor bandwidth information.
To decrease or increase the size of the graph view:

Click the Decrease Size or Increase Size button.

7 System Monitoring and Diagnostics
The Avid NEXIS provides tools for logging, monitoring, and system diagnostics. The following table describes
each tool and where to find it.
Tool Name

What It Does

Where to Find It

Hardware Monitoring Service

Periodically polls critical system
components and reports status to the
System Director

Runs in the background; in case of
problems, hardware status is displayed in
the System Status panel on the
Management Console

Displaying System Director
Information

Displays detailed information about the
Avid NEXIS System Director

Management Console -- Logging

Displaying System Logs

Displays all events initiated by the system, Management Console -- Logging
sortable by type

Displaying Administration Logs

Displays all the administrative actions
Management Console -- Logging
performed on the system, such as creating
Storage Groups and Workspaces, changing
an object’s attributes, or deleting an object

Capturing System Information
(Avid NEXIS Snapshots)

Creates a snapshot of the current state of
the Avid NEXIS system

Management Console -- Logging

Displaying System Status History

Provides an interactive log of error and
warning events, capturing the state of the
system at the time of the event

Management Console -- Tools

Connection Analyzer Tool

Provides a quick look at the connection
status of all Media Packs in the shared
storage network

Avid NEXIS Toolbox

Log Aggregator Tool

Collects a full set of event logs and system Avid NEXIS Toolbox
statistics, including Media Packs and the
System Director

Disk Analyzer Tool

Runs basic disk performance tests on your Avid NEXIS Toolbox
Media Packs

Media Pack Parameters Tool

Sets and retrieves Media Pack logging and Avid NEXIS Toolbox
redistribution flags

Media Pack Log Viewer

Displays event information about Media
Packs

Avid NEXIS Toolbox

Hardware Monitoring Service
When the Hardware Monitoring service detects a hardware problem, it sends status to the System Director. The
System Director displays this status on the Management Console. Errors and warnings are indicated in the System
Status Console (see “System Status Console” on page 15). Expand the Status Console panel to see which
component is causing the error or warning.
If the Management Console is not running, possibly due to a system error or unsupported hardware, the hardware
status messages are displayed in the Agent.
The status messages describe system issues that might not be obvious because in most cases the Avid NEXIS
system continues to function. Correct any issues as soon as possible so that a more serious failure does not occur.

Displaying System Status History
The System Status History page displays the past 5 days (96 hours) of system status information collected by the
System Status Console. You can download the history as a zip file, and then send the file to Avid Customer Care
for analysis.
To open the Status History page:

From the Management Console Home page, click System Status History, in the Tools section.
The System Status History page opens to the day of the first logged system event.

To see information on a system event:

1. In the Hours column, click the hour with the colored icon corresponding to the time and type of system event
you want to see.
The Seconds column opens.
2. In the Seconds column click the second with the colored icon corresponding to the time and type of system
event you want to see.
A snapshot image of the System Status Console, taken at the time of the logged event, is displayed.
To clear Status History Event flag:

Click Clear status history event flag.
The status event history panel indicator is cleared.

This command only clears the status event history indicator from the System Status Console. It does not remove
any status event history entries.
To download the status history:

Click Download.
The status event history is saved to a file (named history.zip). When prompted to open or save the file, click
Save. By default, the file is saved to the Downloads directory on the computer running the Management
Console. You can then send it to Avid Customer Care.

Testing the Network
The Network Utilities page in the Management Console provides you with the following standard utility tests:

•

Network Statistics—displays statistics for IPv4 and IPv6, TCP and UDP

•

Ping—allows you to test the connection between a system in the shared storage network and the
System Director

•

Traceroute—allows you to verify the path between a system in the shared storage network and the
System Director

You must have Administrator privileges to run the utility tests.
To open the Network Utilities page:

1. From the Management Console home page, click Network Utilities, in the Tools section.
The Network Utilities page opens.
2. Select Network Statistics, Ping, or Traceroute from the Command list.
3. Enter the network name or IP address (only for the ping and traceroute commands) of the target machine in
the “Target name” field.
4. Click Submit to perform the command.
The results of the command are shown in the Results area.

Displaying System Director Information
The System Director Information page in the Logging section displays detailed information about your System
Director and network. You cannot edit the information displayed in the System Director Information window, but
you can change some Agent settings through either the Agent Settings page (see ) or the Avid NEXIS Agent (see
“Avid NEXIS Agent” on page 101).
To see System Director Information:

From the Management Console home page, click System Director Information, in the Logging section.
The System Director Information page opens. The System Director Information includes:
-

Server (System Director) status and Avid NEXIS software version

Server (System Director) details, including the maximum allowed number of clients

Metadata information, such as the creation time and how much is available and in use

A list of the processes currently running on the system

Agent environment, statistics, and configuration information (mostly for internal and Support use), some
of which can be changed: see “Configuring the Agent Settings” on page 25.

Displaying System Logs
The System Logs page provides a complete view of the system-generated events. You can filter the log reports to
display messages in a particular category (WARNING vs INFO), by date, by the subsystem or Storage Controller
that generated the event, or by words in the messages themselves.

The logs provide detailed status information that is especially useful to Avid Customer Care personnel for
monitoring system status during prolonged operations.

Displaying or Clearing the System Logs Page
Open the System Logs window to see and to clear event logs. Clearing the logs empties the log of all event entries
and resets the logging process.
To access System Logging functions:

1. From the Management Console home page, click System Logs, in the Logging section.
The System Logs page opens.
2. In the Select Log list, select a file to display. Your Avid Customer Care representative can guide you in
selecting the file to view.
3. Click View.
The selected log displays in the Logs panel.
To clear logs:

1. Click Clear.
2. Click OK.
The event log for the selected category is cleared, and logging is reset to start recording new events.

Displaying Administration Logs
Administration logs list all the actions performed on the Avid NEXIS system by any user with administrative
privileges. You can filter the log reports by type of event, time, the user who performed the reported operation, or
words in the messages themselves.
The logs provide an audit trail that is especially useful to Avid Customer Care personnel.

Using the Administration Logs
Administration Logs are records of Administrator actions reported by the Management Console, including
informational messages (such as when upgrades occur), errors, and warnings. You can sort the log entries by
column or filter them to show only a certain type of entry (for example, only errors). The log displays the
following data for each event:
•

Type — The categories are the following: Info, Error, Warning

•

Time — The time of the logged event

•

IP — The recorded IP address of the client or the System Director, depending on where the logged event
happened

•

User — Who initiated the event

•

Message — Detailed information about the event

To see the Administration logs:

1. From the Management Console home page, click Administration Logs, located in the Logging section.
The Administration Logs page opens.
2. Do one of the following:
88

Click View to see the Administration logs.

Click Download to download the Administration logs in Comma Separated Values (CSV) format.

3. (Option) To filter the log entries in the View Administration logs window:
a.

Type the appropriate keyword in a Filter text box.

b. Press Enter. To see all log entries, clear the text box and press Enter.
4. (Option) To refine your filtering, enter keywords into multiple Filter text boxes.
5. If the log contains more entries than it displays, use the Navigation controls to move through the log.

Capturing System Information (Avid NEXIS Snapshots)
The Avid NEXIS Snapshots page lets you capture the current state of the system and store that information to
display or download later. This information, coupled with the system logs collected by the Log Aggregator tool
(see “Log Aggregator Tool” on page 93), can be used by Avid Customer Care personnel to diagnose and
troubleshoot problems.
The following information is collected in an Avid NEXIS Snapshot:
•

General information, such as the System Director (Storage Controller) name and the date the snapshot was
collected, and the name of the zip file containing the snapshot

•

The system component information (in .csv and .zip files), including any current warnings or errors and their
details

•

System Director status and metadata

•

All currently configured system preferences

Creating, Displaying, and Deleting Snapshots
Snapshot files are saved in folder named with the timestamp of the snapshot and the Storage System name — for
example, 02-23-16 155950 brndx01.
Click Download to save the file to a computer.
To create a snapshot:

1. From the Management Console home page, click Avid NEXIS Snapshots, in the Logging section.
The Avid NEXIS Snapshots page opens.
2. Click New.
3. Enter a name for the snapshot or accept the default name (default) and click OK.
The snapshot is created and the details are displayed in the Snapshots window.
To see a snapshot:

1. By default, the most recent snapshot is displayed automatically. To see a different snapshot, select one from
the list.
2. Click View.
The selected snapshot detail is displayed.

To delete a snapshot:

1. Select a snapshot from the list.
2. Click Delete.
A confirmation dialog window opens.
3. Click OK to confirm the deletion.
The selected snapshot is deleted.
To delete all snapshots:

1. Click Delete All.
A confirmation dialog window opens.
2. Click OK to confirm the deletion.
All snapshots are deleted.

Working with Snapshot Archives
When you create a snapshot, the Avid NEXIS Snapshots tool creates a folder which includes a compressed file
containing all the collected information. You can combine snapshots into an archive to keep track of the system
status — for example, you can archive snapshots weekly or monthly. The Snapshot tool compresses archives in a
ZIP file (archivename.zip).
Archives are stored in folders named with the time stamp of the snapshot and the Storage System name — for
example, 02-23-16 162915 brndx01.zip. The compressed archive uses the same file name format as the
snapshot folder.
You can download the archive in compressed form as a ZIP file by clicking Download.
To create a snapshot archive:

1. On the Snapshots page, click New next to Archives.
A confirmation dialog window opens.
2. Enter a name for the archive or accept the default name (default) and click OK.
3. Click OK to confirm building a new archive from all current snapshots.
The archive is created and listed in the Archives drop-down list. After you create an archive, the snapshots are
no longer available to view and the message No Available Snapshots is displayed.
To delete a snapshot archive:

1. Select a snapshot archive from the list. (If no snapshot archives exist, the Avid NEXIS Snapshots page
displays “No Available Archives.”)
2. Click Delete.
A confirmation dialog appears.
3. Click OK to confirm the deletion.
The selected archive is deleted.
To delete all archives:

1. Click Delete All.
A confirmation dialog window opens.

2. Click OK to confirm the deletion.
All archives are deleted.

Avid NEXIS Toolbox
The Avid NEXIS Toolbox is a collection of tools you can use to monitor and perform diagnostic operations on all
your Avid NEXIS hardware. The Avid NEXIS Toolbox is included in the Avid NEXIS software kit, but is not
installed automatically. You can install it from the Management Console Installers link.

Installing the Avid NEXIS Toolbox
To install the Toolbox:

1. In the Management Console, click Installers under the System heading.
2. In the Avid NEXISTools section, click the Toolbox file appropriate for your operating system.
3. Save the file to your computer and install it.

Opening the Avid NEXIS Toolbox
Make sure the Avid NEXIS Toolbox is installed; see Installing the Avid NEXIS Toolbox.
To open the Toolbox:

1. Do one of the following:
t

(Windows) Select Start, then Avid, then Toolbox, then Avid NEXIS Toolbox.

(Mac) Select Applications, then Avid NEXISTools, then Avid NEXIS Toolbox.

(Linux) Select Applications, then Avid NEXISTools, then Avid NEXIS Toolbox.

If any site security warnings open, click Yes to accept the certificate. If you are not sure about the security
requirements of your shared storage network, see your system administrator.
2. In the Login screen, enter the host name or IP address of your System Director (this might be filled in for you)
and the Administrator password, then click OK.
The Avid NEXIS Toolbox opens.

From the Avid NEXIS Toolbox, you can run any of the following tools:
-

Connection Analyzer Tool

Log Aggregator Tool

Disk Analyzer Tool

Media Pack Parameters Tool

Media Pack Log Viewer

Connection Analyzer Tool
The Connection Analyzer provides a quick look at the connection status of all Media Packs in the shared storage
network.
Connection Analyzer Tool

The Connection Analyzer displays connection status in a grid, using the following icons to denote the status of
each Media Pack:
Icon

Label

Status

Session Active

Source Media Pack has a session with the target Media Pack

Session Failed

Source Media Pack does not have a session with the target Media Pack

No Connection

Target Media Pack is not communicating with the System Director

Storage Server Not Microserver failure—Failure in the request from the Agent to the Media Pack for session
Running
information—for example, a failed request resulting from the Media Pack not running or
the Media Pack not servicing the request before it timed out

Icon

Label

Status(Continued)

System Not
Responding

Communication failure—Unable to determine status—for example, the Agent is not
running or there is a network problem between the Connection Analyzer tool and the Media
Pack

To open the Connection Analyzer and test the connection status of Media Packs:

1. In the Avid NEXIS Toolbox, click Connection Analyzer from the left pane.
The Connection Analyzer window opens and checks the connection status of all Media Packs in the network.
The tool displays results in a color-coded grid.
Place your pointer over a block in the Connection States column to display a tooltip with details about the
Media Pack. If there are more Media Packs than can be displayed in the dialog box, use the scroll bars to see
a specific connection.
2. (Option) Click Info to display version information.
To update the status of Media Packs:

1. Click Start to update the status of Media Packs without reloading the entire list from the System Director.
2. (Option) To stop the status update operation, do the following:
a.

Click Stop.
A confirmation dialog appears.

b. Click Yes.
The update process stops and the main display returns to the previous result.

Log Aggregator Tool
The Log Aggregator tool, included in the Avid NEXIS Toolbox, allows you to collect a full set of the event logs
and system statistics of a network, including installation logs, active Media Packs, and the System Director.
To use the Log Aggregator, you must have Administrative privileges and be logged into a system with access to
the shared storage network.

Run the Log Aggregator from a system with network access to the entire shared storage network. Otherwise, the
tool cannot collect logs for all systems connected to the network.
The Log Aggregator lists all components of the shared storage network in a tree view. You can see events:
•

For all components in the shared storage network by selecting all active Avid NEXIS systems in the Selection
window (the highest level in the tree view).

•

For any subset of components by selecting one or more entries in the Selection window (at a level lower than
the Avid NEXIS Systems in the tree view).

You can select which information — from the network, the System Director software, and Media Packs — you
want to collect in the log reports. This provides you with a system record that you can use to see error and status
messages. The logs provide detailed status information that is especially useful to Avid Customer Care personnel
for monitoring system status during prolonged operations.

Do not use the Log Aggregator unless instructed to do so by Avid Customer Care. Improper use could
result in system downtime or degraded performance.

Using the Log Aggregator Tool
To use the Log Aggregator tool:

1. In the Avid NEXIS Toolbox, click Log Aggregator in the left pane.
The Log Aggregator window opens.

2. In the Selection window, do one of the following:
t

Select all active Avid NEXIS systems to see events from all components in the shared storage network.

Select one or more components to see events from specific System Directors, Engines, Media Packs, and
clients attached to the network.

3. Click Configure.
4. Choose the types of data you want collected in the event logs:
5. (Optional) In the Output Directory text section, click Browse to navigate to a directory where you want the
logs to be saved, if other than the default (C:\Users\username).
6. Click OK to close the Aggregator Options dialog box and return to the Log Aggregator.
7. Click Start.
The progress bar indicates the status of the log aggregation. The Log Aggregator displays a Success icon
(green) or a Fail icon (red) for each system and component logged.
To cancel the log aggregation process, click Stop.
Displaying Aggregate Logs
The Log Aggregator saves individual logs in a log directory called LogAggregator_date-time at the location
indicated in the Output Directory section in the Log Aggregator. Subdirectories include separate logs for each
component in the network for which you created logs. The Log Aggregator also creates a compressed file
containing all logs in the top-level folder (aggregator_results.zip). You can forward this compressed file to your
Avid Customer Care representative if requested.
To see saved logs:

1. Navigate to the directory where the Log Aggregator saved the collected logs.
2. Double-click the file name of the log you want to see.

Disk Analyzer Tool
The Disk Analyzer runs the following basic disk performance tests on your Media Packs, which you can run in
either Sequential or in Random access mode:
•

Read test

•

Write test

•

Read/Write test

•

Erase test

You can also use the Disk Analyzer to collect statistics on the status of Media Packs and network use and
redistribution actions, including the statistics generated by Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology
(S.M.A.R.T.) and by local Media Pack processes — for example, statistics on Long Command Times (LCT).

S.M.A.R.T. data is also available through the Log Aggregator tool.
You can run the Disk Analyzer on more than one Media Pack at a time, but this might degrade performance on the
shared storage network.

Do not run the Disk Analyzer unless instructed to do so by Avid Customer Care, and only during a
maintenance window.

Running Tests with the Disk Analyzer Tool
To open the Disk Analyzer tool and run tests:

1. In the Avid NEXIS Toolbox, click Disk Analyzer in the left pane.
The Disk Analyzer window opens.

2. From the Action drop-down list select one of the following:
-

Execute disk tests

Collect disk statistics

Collect network statistics

Collect redistribution statistics

3. In the Selection window, do one of the following:
t

Select all active Avid NEXIS systems to test all Media Packs in the shared storage network.

Select one or more Media Packs to test specific components in the network.

4. Click Start.
If you selected Execute disk tests, the Disk Test Options dialog box opens.
5. Configure the appropriate options for the test you want to run.
Option

Description

Test Type

The type of test to be performed: Read, Write, Read/Write, or Erase.

Access Mode

Perform sequential or random access test

Duration

Test duration either in minutes or number of passes (specify the number of minutes or
passes in the text field)

Refresh Rate

Slider bar to specify how often to refresh the test status

Reattach to existing tests

By default, starting a new test will abort any currently running tests and clear any
existing results. Select this option to resume any currently running tests and retain the
results

6. Click OK to close the Disk Test Options dialog box and return to the Disk Analyzer.
Results of the test display in the Results area.
7. To stop the test at any time, click Stop.
Updating the Disk Analyzer Tool Display
To update the display:

Click Refresh.

Saving Disk Analyzer Test Results
You can save the results of the Disk Analyzer tests to your local system. The test results are saved in comma
separated value (CSV) format.
To save the results of the Disk Analyzer tests:

1. Click Save Results.
The Save Results window opens.
2. Browse to the location on your local system where you want to save the test results and click Save.
The test results are saved to the specified location.

Media Pack Parameters Tool
The Media Pack Parameters tool, included in the Avid NEXIS Toolbox, allows you to set and retrieve Media Pack
logging and redistribution flags. This status information is useful to Avid Customer Care personnel for monitoring
system status during prolonged operations.

Run the Media Pack Parameters tool from a system with network access to the entire shared storage network.
Otherwise, the tool cannot collect logs for all systems connected to the network.
96

To use the Media Pack Flag Parameters, you must have Administrative privileges and be logged into a system
with access to the shared storage network.
The Media Pack Parameters tool lists all components of the shared storage network in a tree view. You can see
events for:

•

All components in the shared storage network — Select all active Avid NEXIS systems in the Selection
window (the highest level in the tree view).

•

Any subset of components — Select one or more entries in the Selection window (at a level lower than the
Avid NEXIS Systems in the tree view).

Do not use the Media Pack Parameters tool unless instructed to do so by Avid Customer Care. Improper
use could result in system downtime or degraded performance.

Using the Media Pack Parameters Tool
To use the Media Pack Parameters tool:

1. In the Avid NEXIS Toolbox, click Media Pack Parameters in the left pane.
The Media Pack Parameters window opens.

2. In the Selection window, do one of the following:
t

Select all System Directors to see events from all components in the shared storage network.

Select one or more Media Packs to see events from specific System Directors.

3. Click Configure.
The Media Pack Parameters dialog box opens.

Retrieving Media Pack Flag Parameters
To retrieve the Media Pack Parameters:

1. Configure the following options to retrieve data:
Option

Description

No filtering

Selects all of the parameters listed in the Media Pack Parameters window

All other Media Pack Parameters

Allows you to specify the data to collect by selecting one or more parameters

Log Level and Throttle

Do not change the Log Level or Throttle setting unless instructed to do so by Avid
Customer Care. Improper use could result in system downtime or degraded
performance.

2. Click OK to close the Media Pack Parameters dialog box.
3. Click Start.
The Media Pack displays the retrieved information.

Media Pack Log Viewer
The Media Pack Log Viewer is a utility that displays event information about Media Packs. You cannot save the
information displayed in the Log Viewer, but you can copy it to a word processing application, such as Notepad.
You can also save event logs displayed in the Logging tab. The information is used primarily by Avid Customer
Care personnel to help analyze problems with Media Packs.
To use the Media Pack Log Viewer:

1. In the Avid NEXIS Toolbox, click Media Pack Log Viewer.
The Log Viewer opens.

If the Avid NEXIS system has no Media Pack event logs, nothing is displayed.

2. Select an option as described in the following table.
Icon

Option

Description

Resume

Resumes monitoring Media Pack events

Pause

Stops monitoring Media Pack events

Clear

Clears all event data from the Console View tool

Resync

Restores previously-cleared event data to the Console View tool

(None)

Autoscroll

Scrolls the display to the bottom of the page

(None)

Refresh Rate (sec)

Sets the rate at which the Console View tool refreshes event data

Creating a Metadata Dump File
To help you resolve a problem with your system, Avid Customer Care might ask you to dump the system metadata
to a file. This file, named PartitionDump.txt, is very large and can take a long time to create.

Perform this operation only as a diagnostic aid. You cannot restore metadata from a metadata dump file.
To create a metadata dump file:

1. From the Management Console Home page, click System Settings in the Advanced section.
By default, the System Settings tool opens on the File System page.
2. Click Other.
3. Click Dump Metadata, then click Apply.
Avid support personnel can retrieve the file from your Avid NEXIS system.

Restoring the File System (Support Use Only)
Use this procedure only with guidance from Avid Customer Care. You might be advised to restore the file system
if the System Director cannot find and load a valid partition file. The Status panel in the Management Console
displays the following messages:

Restoring a file system from a backup metadata file is a destructive process. You will lose all files,
Workspaces, and other objects. In addition, the Administrator password reverts to the password that was
in use as of the metadata file you restore from, or to the factory default.
To restore the file system from a metadata file:

1. In the Management Console, click System Settings.
2. Click Create File System From Import.
3. Select a PartitionDump.bin file from the Metadata Files list; in general, use the most recent file. Work with
Avid Customer Care to determine the best file to use.
4. Click Apply.
A confirmation screen appears, asking you to confirm the operation, which will destroy all existing data on
the Avid NEXIS system, and create a new file system using the data in the file.

5. Click OK to continue.
The Results panel displays the following messages:
Working... Creating active file system from filename
Success... Created File System from Import File.
6. Your Avid Customer Care representative will help you with the next steps, which might include re-creating
Storage Groups, Workspaces, and user accounts.

100

8 Avid NEXIS Agent
For most day-to-day operations and system monitoring, use the Management Console. To perform more advanced
operations, such as changing the logging properties or the network configuration, or to see more detailed
information about system components, use the Avid NEXIS Agent. Not all of the Agent functionality is described
here; some is for Customer Care use only, or with their guidance.

You must have Administrator privileges to access the Agent.

Opening the Avid NEXIS Agent
The Agent runs as a Web service and can be opened from various places in the Management Console.
Alternatively, you can open a browser window and enter the IP address of a Storage Controller, in the format:
https://ip_address:5015/

The default Agent password is se-admin. To change it, see “Changing the Agent Password” on page 106.
On any Avid NEXIS system, you can also use the Avid NEXIS Administrator password to access the Agent. If
you are already logged in to the Management Console, you are automatically logged in to the Agent when you
open it. This is known as single sign-on.
To open the Avid NEXIS Agent:

1. In the Management Console, click Engines, or Storage Controllers, or Media Packs.
2. Double-click an item in the list to open the Details pane.
3. Do one of the following:
t

In Engine Details, double-click a Storage Controller name or a Media Pack name.

In Storage Controller Details, double-click a Media Pack name or an IP address.

In Media Packs Details, double-click an IP address or a Disk name.

4. If you see a warning about the website security certificate, click Continue.

Understanding the Agent Interface
In the Avid NEXIS Agent interface, controls are grouped by function and are displayed by clicking the
appropriate buttons.
The following figure illustrates the Avid NEXIS Agent with the System tab selected.

The Agent running on a System Director Appliance looks slightly different from an Agent running on an Avid
NEXIS Engine. The differences are noted in the following sections.

The Agent interface is divided into the following areas:
Callout

Description

Command menu—Contains the options used for basic management functions.

Tabs—You can access different Command functions by clicking the tabs at the top of the Agent tool. The System
tab is selected by default.

Main display area—Displays information about your network and in some cases allows you to configure
components.
On a System Director Appliance, the General Storage Server Status panel is not displayed.

System Tab
The System tab lists general information about component status, version, and usage. The Configuration section
contains links that let you set and change general system, networking, and interface values.
102

On a System Director Appliance, the Agent does not contain the General Storage Server Status panel on the
System tab, and does not include the checkbox to Run System Director on the Configuration Install panel.

Some changes require a system reboot. When an action might cause the system to reboot, a confirmation dialog is
shown, allowing you to continue with the operation or cancel.

Statistics Tab
The Statistics tab displays basic information about your network or network components and provides statistics
for the local system and for the Media Packs. The Media Pack Disk Statistics page displays detailed information
about the performance of the Media Pack disks.
On a System Director Appliance, the Agent does not contain the Media Pack menu items.

Tools Tab
The Tools tab lets you perform tests to evaluate the function of the network and disk operations. These tools are
used primarily by Avid Customer Care to diagnose problems with components of the shared storage network.

Logging Tab
The Logging tab provides a complete view of the system logs. The logs provide a snapshot of error and status
messages, and are especially useful to Avid Customer Care personnel for monitoring system status during
prolonged operations.
On a System Director Appliance, the Logging tab does not contain the Media Pack menu items.

Advanced Tab
The Advanced tab contains agent configuration utilities and diagnostic tools for Avid Customer Care personnel to
troubleshoot problems with the shared storage network. From this tab, you can also shut down or restart the
Storage Controller.
On the Advanced tab, click All Disks under the Storage Engine heading to see detailed status information for
disks (especially system drives).
On a System Director Appliance, the Agent does not contain the Media Pack menu items.

Using the tools in the Advanced tab can result in degraded system performance or loss of data. The tools
should be used only by Avid Customer Care personnel or under their direction.

Never use the Command field to change the administrator password; doing so can prevent all future logins.

Changing the Storage System Name
The Storage System name represents all the Avid NEXIS Engines (and the System Director Appliance, if
applicable) operating as one shared storage system.
The name can be up to 31 English alphanumeric characters long, any combination of upper and lower case (a-z
and A-Z), can contain a dash or hyphen (-), and must start and end with a letter or number.

103

Always change the Storage System Name on the System Director Appliance first (if applicable), or on the Engine
running the System Director. Then change the name on the other Engines.
Renaming the system requires a reboot. You might want to perform this change when clients are not connected
and actively using the system.
To change the Storage System Name:

1. Open the Agent on the System Director Appliance (if applicable) or the Engine running the System Director.
2. On the System tab, click General (under Configuration).
3. Enter a new name into the Storage System Name field, then click Submit.
A confirmation message is displayed stating that the system might reboot. To continue, click OK.
If you click OK, the Agent displays a message that it is applying the changes. When the system reboots, a
message is displayed stating that the system is rebooting and will attempt to reconnect. The amount of time
remaining until reconnection is displayed and counts down in real time.
When the remaining time has elapsed, you can log into the Agent (or the Management Console) again.
4. One at a time, change the Storage System Name on all the other Engines in the system.
5. When the last Engine has rebooted, clients can reconnect to the system. Users might need to refresh the host
list in the Client Manager to see the new name.

Changing the Hostname of the Storage Controller
You can change the hostname of any Storage Controller. The embedded System Director uses the same name as
the Storage Controller it is running on.
The name can be up to 25 English alphanumeric characters long, any combination of upper and lower case (A-Z
and a-z), can contain a dash or hyphen (-), and must start and end with a letter or number.
This operation requires a reboot. To avoid disruption, plan to perform this change when clients are not connected
and actively using the system.
To change the Storage Controller name:

1. On the System tab, click General (under Configuration).
2. In the Basic Network Configuration section, enter a new name in the Hostname field, then click Submit.
A confirmation message is displayed stating that the system might reboot. To continue, click OK.
If you click OK, the Agent displays a message that it is applying the changes. When the system reboots, a
message is displayed stating that the system is rebooting and will attempt to reconnect. The amount of time
remaining until reconnection is displayed and counts down in real time.
When the remaining time has elapsed, you can log into the Agent (or the Management Console) again.

Changing the Enclosure ID
Setting an enclosure ID is optional. The enclosure ID is displayed on the front of the Engine, in the LED panel on
the left side (see “Engine List” on page 67). During initial system setup, you have the option of setting an
Enclosure ID. You can change (or delete) it at any time, with no effect on the system operation.

104

To set, change, or delete the Enclosure ID:

1. On the System tab, click General (under Configuration).
2. Enter a new value for the Enclosure ID in the field, or delete existing text to delete the current ID.
3. (Option) If you make a mistake, click Reset to clear all the fields. Nothing is changed.
4. Click Submit.

Configuring DNS Service
If your network environment includes one or more Domain Name servers, you can add the Avid NEXIS system to
the DNS service, and add the DNS domain to the Avid NEXIS. This enables you to open the Management
Console using the System Director host name, as an alternative to the IP address. Enabling DNS also allows you
to use LDAP for external user authentication; for more information, see “Configuring External Authentication of
Users” on page 4.
To configure DNS:

1. Open the Avid NEXIS Agent. (For more information, see “Opening the Avid NEXIS Agent” on page 101).
2. On the System tab, click General under the Configuration heading.
3. In the Basic Network Configuration area, enter the following information:
-

The DNS domain you want the Avid NEXIS system to join

One or more IP addresses for the DNS servers in your environment, separated by spaces

(Optional) Additional domains in your environment (if applicable) to search through when trying to
resolve a host name.

4. Click Submit.
If you enter an invalid IP address, an error message is displayed.
5. Make sure to add the Avid NEXIS system to your DNS service. Only then will you be able to log into the
Avid NEXIS Management Console using the System Director host name.

Setting the System Time
You can configure the system time manually or use one or two external NTP servers. (If you configure an NTP
server and enter the system time manually, the NTP server takes precedence.)
You typically set the system time or configure NTP servers during initial system setup, but you can change the
system time or the NTP server information (for example if the IP address of an NTP server changed) at any time.
To set system time, or add or change and NTP server:

1. On the System tab, click Time (under Configuration).
2. Do one of the following:.
t

To configure an NTP server, check the box and enter the IP addresses or host names for up to two NTP
servers on your network.

To set the date and time manually, enter the current date and time in the fields, and choose a time zone
from the list

3. Click Submit.

105

A confirmation dialog box opens indicating that the system might have to reboot. Click OK to continue or
Cancel to stop. If you changed the time zone and canceled the operation (for example, to wait for a better time
to reboot), click Reset to restore the previous time zone setting.

Changing the Agent Password
By default the Agent password is set to se-admin. Avid recommends changing this password the first time you
use the Agent page. The Agent password can be up to 8 ASCII characters long.

In a multi-Engine configuration, change the Agent password on all Engines, and use the same password on
all.
To change the Agent password:

1. On the System tab, click Administration (under Configuration).
2. Type the current password in the “Current Password” field.
3. Type the new password in the “New Password” field.
4. Retype the new password in the “Confirm Password” field.
5. (Option) If you make a mistake, click Reset to clear all the fields. Nothing is changed.
6. Click Submit.

Shutting Down the System
Under normal working conditions, you will not need to shut down the system. All the components are hotswappable, so that if a piece of hardware fails (a drive, power supply, or fan) you can replace it while the system
remains running.
Before moving the Engine to a different location or if it will be unused for an extended period, shut it down.
To shut down the system:

1. Alert all clients to stop using and unmount all Workspaces.
2. Open the Agent. For more information, see “Opening the Avid NEXIS Agent” on page 101.
3. Click the Advanced tab.
4. Under System Tools, click Shutdown.
The Agent page displays the message Confirm shutdown request, and a field in which to enter the
Administration password to continue.
5. Enter the Administrative password, then click Shutdown.
A message is displayed that the system is shutting down. When it does, the Agent page closes, the
Management Console closes (if open), and all clients are disconnected from the system.
6. Optionally, turn off the switches on both power supplies and disconnect the power supplies from AC power;
for example, if you are going to physically relocate the system.

Restarting the System
You can restart the system after a clean shutdown.

106

To restart the system, do one of the following:

If the power supplies are not plugged in to AC power, connect them.

If the power supplies are still connected to AC power, turn off the switches for a few seconds, then turn
them on again.

The system begins its power on self test (POST) processing, and after several minutes the fans start running at
full speed. After a few more minutes, the system becomes available on the network and you can open a
browser and log into the Management Console.

Rerunning the Setup Wizard
On a fully configured system, you can run the setup wizard again to either confirm or change your entries.
Resellers can use this feature to repeat a demonstration of the setup process to customers.
All other system objects, including bound Media Packs, Storage Groups, Workspaces, user and group accounts,
and other system settings remain intact.
To run the setup wizard again:

1. In the Agent page, click the System tab.
2. Click Wizard under the Configuration heading.
3. Make any changes, and click Next to go to the next wizard page.
4. Continue until you reach the Install screen, then click Finish.
The system reboots and your changes take effect.

107

Index
A
Access privileges
and duplicating users 51
effective 41
for Workspaces, setting 41
managing 41
new users 51
Account Synchronizer (LDAP Sync tool) 55
Accounts
Administrator 48
changing 52
creating 51
default 48
deleting 52
disabling 53
displaying details 53
duplicating 51
Guest 48
LDAP 4
See LDAP
user 48
Active clients 82
Adding
Bandwidth limits 65
LDAP/Active Directory groups 57
Media Packs to Storage Groups 30
Storage Groups 29
User groups 62
user groups 62
users 51
Workspaces 36
Administration Logs
about 88
displaying 88
downloading 88
filtering 88
using 88
Administrator account 48
Administrator password
changing or setting 8
forgotten 8
tool 17
Advanced Workspace commands 44
Agent
Advanced tab 103
Configuration menu (System tab) 102
default password 101
interface 101
Logging tab 103
opening 101

options 25
running Setup again 107
Single sign-on support 101
Statistics tab 103
System tab 102
Tools tab 103
Trace Setup tool 19
Agent password
changing 106
default 106
maximum length 106
Aggregate logs 93, 94
Allocating Workspaces 35
Auto Refresh 22
enabling 22
Auto refresh
and Session Counter 19
disabling 19, 22
Auto-Rectify 25
default value 24
Management Console preferences 24
Avid
online support 2
training services 2
Avid Help
See Help
Avid Management Console
See Management Console
Avid NEXIS infrastructure
securing 8
Avid NEXIS Snapshots tool
collected information 89
described 89
using 89

B
Bandwidth
aggregate 82
displaying 64
limiting 66
monitoring 82
system 82
Bandwidth Limits tool 64
adding clients or devices 65
deleting clients or devices 66
described 17
Bandwidth Limits, managing 64
Client Bandwidth tool
See also active clients

Binding Media Packs 4, 4
BMC
changing password 9
version 71

Connecting to servers (LDAP Sync tool) 60
Connection Analyzer tool
See also Toolbox
checking connection status 93
described 92
opening 93
status icons 92
Connection Status tool
described 17, 81, 81
Contact information (Notification service) 7
Context menus 23
Copying
Users 51
Workspaces 37
Creating
aggregate logs 94, 94
Avid NEXIS file system 3
devices 65
metadata dump text file 99
snapshot archives 90, 90
snapshots 89
Storage Groups 29
user groups 62, 62
users 51
Workspaces 36
Customizing the Management Console 20

C
Changing
Agent password 106, 106
Bandwidth Limits 64
BMC password 9
device properties 66
Enclosure ID 104
hostname 104
LDAP Sync tool display 56
Storage System Name 103
System Director name 104
System passwords 8
user details 52
user groups 62
Workspace access privileges 41
Workspace size 38
Clearing
Foreign Disk error 77
LDAP Sync tool History log 59
Network Degraded status messages 78
status event history 86
system logs 88
Client Bandwidth tool
described 82, 83
scaling graph display 84
Clients
active 82
adding 65
deleting 66
monitoring bandwidth 82
renaming 66
Closing
LDAP Sync tool 59
Storage Groups tool Details panel 32
Users tool User Details panel 53
Workspaces tool Details panel 34
Columns
LDAP Sync tool 56
moving 20
showing and hiding 20
sorting 21
sorting (multi-level) 21
Config Changes (Workspaces list) 34
Configuring
contact information (Notification service) 7
DNS service 105, 105
External Authentication 4
Notification Service 5
NTP servers 105

D
Date format 21
Default
accounts 48
Agent password 101, 106
Bandwidth for Auto Created Devices 24
Hard Disk Error Threshold 24
LCT Threshold 24
Management Console password 13
Deleting
all snapshots 89
clients 66
devices 66
snapshot archives 90
Storage Groups 32
system snapshot 89
user groups 63
Users 52
Workspaces 40
Devices
adding 65
deleting 66
modifying 66
renaming 66
Disabling
Auto Refresh 22
users 53
disabling
Auto refresh 19
109

Disconnecting clients
from LDAP server (LDAP Sync tool) 60
Disk Analyzer tool
described 95
disk test options 96
Media Pack statistics 95
opening 95
running disk tests 96
saving results 96
updating display 96
Disk S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, And Reporting
Technology)
See Disk Analyzer tool
Disks
Info button 68
See also Drives
Displaying
Administration logs 88
aggregate logs 94
bandwidth limits 64
Bandwidth Limits details 65
connection status 93
Engine details 68
LDAP Sync tool History log 59
Media Pack details 32, 74, 75
Media Pack drive details 75
Media Pack statistics 95
Storage Group details 32, 32
System Director information 87
System drive details 75
system drive status details 103
system status history events 86
user details 53
user group details 63
Workspace details 34, 34
DNS service 105
configuring 105
Downloading
Administration Logs 88
snapshot archives 90
System event history 86
Drive statuses 76
Drives
clearing Foreign Disk error 77
displaying details 75
displaying spares 75
replacing with different size (capacity) 76
Dumping system metadata (text file) 99
Duplicating
users 51
Workspaces 37, 37

E
Email Address (Notification service setting) 5
Email notifications
See Notification service
110

Enabling
Auto refresh 22
DNS 105
Enclosure ID
changing 104
setting 104
Engine
identifying failures 68
invalid Storage Controller 68
statuses 68
Engine details
Info button 68
Engines
Details panel 68
displaying information about 68
enclosure ID 67
information about 67
managing 67
page 67
removing 70
System Director indicator 67
upgrading 68, 68, 68
Entering text 23
Error notification
configuring parameters (Notification service) 6
Notification service 5
Event triggers
about 39
setting 39
External Authentication
about 4
configuring 4
See also Avid LDAP Account Synchronizer
External Authentication tool 4, 19

F
Failed drive
identifying 75, 76
File system
binding Media Packs 4
creating 3
restoring 99
unbinding Media Packs 78
Filtering
Administration logs 88
information 21
limitations 22
resetting 22
Force Manual Device Creation 24
Foreign Disk error
causes 77
clearing 77

General preferences 24
Groups
See also Storage Groups
See also User Groups
Groups (user)
managing 60
Groups tool
described 17
displaying group details 63
hiding user membership panel 64
hiding Workspace Access panel 64
modifying user groups 62
user membership panel 63
Workspace Access panel 63
Guest account (default) 48

LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol)
external authentication 4
remote LDAP users 4
See also LDAP Sync tool
LDAP Sync tool
See also External Authentication
account list and selections report 58
Account Synchronizer 55
adding LDAP/Active Directory groups 57
clearing History log 59
closing 59
compatibility 54
connecting and disconnecting from servers 60
described 54
displaying History log 59
group reconciliation actions 58
importing users with bad UIDs 59
installing 54
login information storage 55
modifying display 56
opening 54
printing History log 59
reconnecting to Avid NEXIS system 60
removing LDAP/Active Directory groups 58
resizing columns 56
sorting columns 56
synchronization status icons 55
synchronizing accounts 57
synchronizing LDAP/Active Directory groups 58
user list and selections report 58
using 55
Limiting bandwidth 66
Log Aggregator tool
Administrative privileges 94
creating aggregate logs 94
described 93, 94
displaying aggregate logs 94
event logs 93, 97
opening 94
Output directory 94, 94
output format 94
using 94
Logging preferences 24
Logs
administration 88
aggregate 93, 94
Media Pack 98
system 88

H
Help
accessing 19
menu 19
Hiding
Groups tool user membership panel 64
Groups tool Workspace Access panel 64
Users tool Details panel 53
History Data Collection 24
default value 24
Hostname
changing 104
maximum length 104
valid characters 23, 104

I
Identifying failed component
Drive 75, 76
Engine 68
Fan 102
Power supply 102
Storage Controller 68
Illegal characters 23
Importing incorrectly formatted UIDs (LDAP/AD) 59
Info buttons
Engine Details panel 68
Storage Controller details panel 71
Installers tool 17
Installing
LDAP Sync tool 54
Invalid characters 23
Invalid Storage Controller 68
IP Addresses
Info button 71

111

M
Management Console
See also Management Console tools
Adobe® Flash® player 14
Auto Refresh 22

Auto-Rectify 24, 25
configuring preferences 24
context menus 23
customizing 20
default bandwidth for Auto Created Devices 24
default hard disk error threshold 24
default LCT Threshold 24
default password 13
described 14
entering text 23, 23
filtering information 21, 22
Force Manual Device Creation 24
forgotten Administrator password 8
Help menu 19
History Data Collection 24
Home page 13
log in 13
log out 13
logging 87, 88
Main tools panel 17
Media Packs tool 72
moving columns 20
navigation toolbar 17
non-administrative login 13
opening (as Administrator) 13
organizing display information 20
password (default) 13
Preferences 24
selecting items 23
session counter 19
setting Administrator password 8
Show status before login 24
showing and hiding columns 20
sorting information 21
supported web browsers 13
System Status Console 15
text guidelines 23
tools overview 17
Total System Bandwidth 24
updating display 22
using 14
Management Console tools 17
Administration Logs 88
Administrator Password 8, 17
Agent Options 25
Agent Trace Setup 19, 25
Avid NEXIS Snapshots 17, 89
Bandwidth Limits 17, 64
Client Bandwidth 82
Connection Status 17, 81
Engines 67
External Authentication 4, 19
Groups 17
Hardware Monitor 86
Installers 17
LDAP Sync tool 54
Network Utilities 18, 18, 87

Notification Service 5, 19
Preferences 19
Reservations 17
Storage Groups 17
System Director Information 17, 87
System Logs 17, 88
System Status 17
System Status History tool 86
Toolbox 91
User groups 60
Users 48
Workspaces 17, 33
Managing
access privileges 41
Bandwidth limits 64
Engines 67
Media Packs 72
Storage Controllers 70
Storage Groups 27
user groups 60
users 48
Workspace access privileges 41
Workspaces 33
Media Pack Log Viewer 98
Media Pack Parameters
opening 97
retrieving 98
Media Pack Protection Mode (Workspaces) 34
Media Packs
about 72
adding (to Storage Groups) 30
and Storage Managers 75
binding 4
binding to file system 4
capacity 27
displaying statistics 95
Info button 68, 71
list 73
managing 72
mixed drive sizes 27
net capacity calculation 27
Parameters tool 97
rectifying files 79
removing from Storage Groups 31
removing orphans 79
status messages 75
unbinding 78
Media Packs tool
clearing Network Degraded status 78
displaying details 74, 75
icon colors 74
Metadata dump file (PartitionDump.txt) 99
Modifying
Administrator password 8, 8
Agent password 106, 106
bandwidth limits 64
BMC password 9
112

clients 66
devices 66
Enclosure ID 104
group reconciliation actions (LDAP Sync tool) 58
hostname 104
LDAP Sync tool display 56
storage system name 103
System DIrector name 104
user details 52
user groups 62
Workspace access privileges 41
Workspace size 38
Monitoring
bandwidth 82
redistribution 46
system connection status 81
Moving columns 20
Multi-level sorting (columns) 21

NTP servers, configuring 105

O
Online support 2
Opening
Agent 101
Disk Analyzer tool 95
LDAP Sync tool 54
Log Aggregator tool 94
Management Console (as Administrator) 13
Media Pack Parameters tool 97
Network Utilities tool 87
Toolbox 93, 94, 95
Organizing display information 20
Orphaned Media Packs tool 79

P
Password
Agent, changing 106
user 51
Passwords
See Administrator password
See Administrator password (Agent)
See User passwords
Agent 101
BMC 9
changing all 8
maximum length 23
ping tool
See Network Utilities tool
Poll Frequency (Notification service setting) 5
Preferences
Auto-Rectify 25
general 24
logging 24
Preferences tool 19
Printing
account list and selections (LDAP Sync tool) 58
LDAP Sync tool History log 59
user list and selections (LDAP Sync tool) 58
Protection (Workspaces)
recommendations 36

Names
invalid characters 23
maximum length 23
valid characters 23
Navigation toolbar 17
current tool heading 17
described 17
Home link 17
related links section 17
Network Degraded error 75
Network Degraded status, clearing 78
Network statistics
See Network Utilities tool
Network Utilities tool 18, 18
Administrative privileges 87
described 17
opening 87
using 87
Non-permitted characters 23
Notification Service
configuring 5, 6
Email Address setting 5
error notification parameters 6
Poll Frequency setting 5
SMTP Port setting 5
SMTP Server setting 5
starting 6
stopping 6
testing settings 6
Notification service
tool 5

R
Rebuilding
drives 76
Media Packs 75
Workspaces 34
Reconciling used space reporting 25
Rectifying files 79
Redistribution
described 42
guidelines 42, 43

113

manual 42, 43
monitoring 46
resuming 44
suspending 44
verifying 44
Remote LDAP users 4
Removing
Engines 70
LDAP/Active Directory groups (LDAP Sync tool) 58
Media Packs 78
Orphaned Managers 79
orphaned Media Packs 79
Renaming
clients 66
devices 66
user groups 62
users 52
Workspaces 37
Replacing drives
size restrictions 76
Reports
account list and selections (LDAP Sync tool) 58
user list and selections (LDAP Sync tool) 58
Reservations tool 17
Resetting filters 22
Resizing Workspaces 38
Restarting the system 106
Restoring
file system 99
System Director 99
Resuming redistribution 44
Right-click menus
See context menus
Running Disk Analyzer tests 96

S
Saving Disk Analyzer tool results 96
Scaling Client Bandwidth tool graph display 84
Securing the system 8
Selecting multiple items 23
Session Counter
behavior 19
location 19
resetting 19
user session 19
Session, preventing timeout 22
Setting
Administrator password 8
Agent password 106
Enclosure ID 104
event triggers 39
system time 105
Workspace access privileges 41
Settings
External Authentication 4
Management Console 24
114

Notification Service 6
Setup
running again 107
Setup wizard 107
Show status before login 24
default value 24
Showing and hiding columns 20
Shutting down the system 106
Single Sign-on to Agent 101
SMTP
Port 5
Server 5
Snapshots
See Avid NEXIS Snapshots tool
Snapshots tool
creating snapshot 89
creating snapshot archives 90
deleting snapshot 89
deleting snapshot archives 90
described 17
downloading archives 90
file name format 89
Log Aggregator tool 89
output format 89
snapshot archive file location 90
snapshot archive file name format 90
snapshot archives 90
snapshot archives described 90
snapshot file location 89
Sorting
and date format 21
information 21
LDAP Sync tool columns 56
Spare drives
displaying 75
Starting the Notification Service 6
Status details
displaying for system drives 103
Status icons
Connection Analyzer tool 92
LDAP Sync tool 55
Media Packs 74
Status messages
Hardware Monitoring 86
Log Aggregator 93
Media Packs 75
Network Degraded, clearing 78
Statuses
Foreign Disk 77
Stopping the Notification Service 6
Storage Controllers
Details 71
identifying failures 68
Info button 68
invalid 68
managing 70
restarting 106

shutting down 106
status 68
upgrading 71
Storage Groups
adding Media Packs 30
capacity 27
creating 29, 29
deleting 32
displaying details 32
list 28
maximum number 29
mixed Media Pack sizes 27
net capacity calculation 27
removing Media Packs 31
Storage Groups tool 27
closing Details panel 32
described 17
Details panel 32
Storage Manager 81
Notifications 6
Storage Managers
and Media Packs 75
Storage System Name
changing 103
maximum length 103
valid characters 103
Suspending redistribution 44
Synchronizing
LDAP/Active Directory and users 57
LDAP/Active Directory groups 58
System
shutting down 106
starting 106
System Director
Avid NEXIS Snapshots tool 89
changing name 104
configuring DNS service 105
error notification 6
hardware status reporting 86
identifying 67
indicator 67
IP address 13
maximum name length 104
name, valid characters 104
no regional language support 23
restoring file system 99
status summary 15
upgrading 68
System Director Information tool 17, 87, 87
System drives
displaying status details 103
System Logs
about 87
clearing 88
displaying 88

System Logs tool 17
System security 8
System Status Console 15
accessing 15
configuring 15
console panels 15
current system status panel 15
described 15, 15
expanding/collapsing panels 15
status event history panel 15
status retrieval panel 15
storage capacity panel 15
System Status History tool 86
clearing status event 86
described 17
displaying system events 86
downloading file 86
file, where saved 86
opening 86
System time, setting 105

T
Text fields
guidelines 23
non-permitted characters 23
Time format 21
Toolbox
See also Connection Analyzer tool
See also Disk Analyzer tool
See also Log Aggregator tool
described 91
Media Pack Parameters 97
opening 93, 94, 95
Tools
diagnostic 92, 95
Log Aggregator 93, 93
Media Pack Log Viewer 98
Media Pack Parameters 96
Storage Group management 27
Workspace management 33
Total System Bandwidth
capabilities 24
default values 24
traceroute tool
See Network Utilities tool
Training services 2
Troubleshooting 2

U
Unbinding Media Packs 78
Updating display
Disk Analyzer tool 96
Management Console 22
Upgrading
Engines 68, 68
115

Storage Controllers 71
Upgrading the software 68
User Access panel 35
User groups
adding 62, 62
deleting 63
managing 60
modifying 62
setting Workspace access privileges 41
synchronizing (LDAP Sync tool) 54, 57
Workspace access privileges 41
User password
maximum length 51
Users
adding 51
copying 51
creating accounts 51
deleting 52
disabling 53
duplicating 51
effective access privileges 41
Guest account 48, 52
list 49
managing 48
modifying 52
remote LDAP 4
setting Workspace access privileges 41
synchronizing (LDAP Sync tool) 54, 57
Workspace access privileges 41
Users tool 48
closing User Details panel 53
described 17
Details panel 50, 50, 53
hiding User Details panel 53
user list 49
Using
Avid NEXIS Snapshots tool 89
LDAP Sync tool 55
Log Aggregator tool 94
Log Viewer tool 98
Management Console 14
Network Utilities tool 87

Verifying redistribution 44

W
Wizard, setup 107
Workspaces
adding 36
allocating 35
changing access privileges 41
changing size 38
Config Changes 34
creating 36
data protection modes 36
default size 36
deleting 40
duplicating 37
event triggers 39
graphical display 39
list 34
managing 33
Media Pack Protection Mode 34
minimum size 36
naming rules 23
protecting from drive failures 36
protection modes 36
rebuild priority 36
rebuilding 34
redistribution of data 42, 43
renaming 37
resizing 38
setting access privileges 41
setting effective user access 41
setting event triggers 39
setting privileges 41
size graph 39
status messages 34
system limit 36
user access privileges 41
user group access privileges 41
Workspaces tool
described 17
Details panel, closing 34
Details panel, opening 34
resize slider 39
User Access panel 34

116

Avid

Technical Support (USA)

Product Information

75 Network Drive
Burlington, MA 01803-2756 USA

Visit the Online Support Center
at www.avid.com/support

For company and product information, visit us on the web at www.avid.com

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Title                           : Avid NEXIS Administration Guide v6.0
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Avid NEXIS Administration Guide V6.0 6.0 V6 AG EN

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