Avid INEWSOpsv2.0 I News 2.0 Setup And Configuration Manual Config

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Avid

iNEWS Newsroom Computer System
™

Setup and Configuration Manual
Version 2.0

m a k e m a n a g e m ove | m e d i a ™

Avid

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Copyright © 1988–1997 Sam Leffler
Copyright © 1991–1997 Silicon Graphics, Inc.
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Trademarks
888 I/O, AirPlay, AirSPACE, AirSPACE HD, AniMatte, AudioSuite, AudioVision, AutoSync, Avid, AVIDdrive,
AVIDdrive Towers, AvidNet, AvidNetwork, AVIDstripe, Avid Unity, Avid Xpress, AVoption, AVX, CamCutter,
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iNEWS, iNEWS ControlAir, and Media Browse are trademarks of iNews, LLC.
All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

Footage
Arizona Images — KNTV Production — Courtesy of Granite Broadcasting, Inc.,
Editor/Producer Bryan Foote.
Canyonlands — Courtesy of the National Park Service/Department of the Interior.
WCAU Fire Story — Courtesy of NBC-10, Philadelphia, PA.
Women in Sports – Paragliding — Courtesy of Legendary Entertainment, Inc.

Avid® iNEWS™ Newsroom Computer System Setup and Configuration Manual
Part # 0130-06339-01 Rev B • 25 October 2004

Contents
Using This Guide
Who Should Use This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
About This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Symbols and Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
If You Need Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
...With the Syntax of Console Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Related Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
If You Have Documentation Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
How to Order Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Avid Educational Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Chapter 1

Introduction
What is Avid Unity for NEWS? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
iNEWS NRCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Third-Party Connectivity and Open Integration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
System Administrator Tasks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Basic Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
User Tasks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Database Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Security Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Customizing the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Storage Maintenance Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Device Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Reviewing Default Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Chapter 2

The iNEWS Console
Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
The Console Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Standard Console Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
i

Starting the Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
The System Operator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
The Console Superuser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Entering Superuser Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Exiting Superuser Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Changing System Administration Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Exiting the Console. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Troubleshooting a Frozen Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Types of Console Commands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Server Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Console Control Commands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Console Function Keys. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Assigning a Command to a Function Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Changing the Assignment of a Function Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Deleting the Definition of a Function Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Displaying Function Key Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Selecting Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Selecting One or More Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Zooming in on One Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Console History. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Viewing Recent Console History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Viewing Logged Console History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Using the Remote Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Dialing in to the Console. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Executing Commands Remotely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Logging out from a Remote Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Logging out a Remote User from the Main Console. . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
The Console Configuration File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Viewing the Configuration File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Sample Console Configuration File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Editing the Console Configuration File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Console Configuration Keywords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Chapter 3

Getting Started
Starting the System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Shutting Down the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Starting a System in Single-Server Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Chapter 4

Users
Viewing User Accounts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Modifying User Traits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
User Traits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
User ID and User Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Type. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Edit Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Queues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Read Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Session/Configuration/Queue Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Password. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
User Preferences... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Get from Template... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Changing a User’s Password. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
User Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Session Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Confirmations Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Backup Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Refresh Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Layout Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Search Results Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Simplified Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Workspaces Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Application Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Creating New Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Creating a New User Area in the News Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Adding a New User Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Copying User Traits to Another User Account. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Creating a New User Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Enabling a New User to Receive Mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Searching for User Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Removing User Accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

iii

The User Manager Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
The Database Manager Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Logging Out All Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Chapter 5

Stories Queues, and Directories
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Adding a Directory or Queue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
A Few Restrictions: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Creating a New Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Creating a New Queue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Setting up the Outgoing Mail Queue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Setting up the Dead Letter Queue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Creating a New Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Removing a Directory or Queue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Renaming a Directory or Queue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Viewing Database Traits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
From the iNEWS Workstation... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
From the iNEWS Console. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Sending Output from the List Command to a Printer . . . . . . . . 112
Getting Information about Stories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Finding out Who Moved, Duplicated, or Killed a Story. . . . . . . 114
Recovering a Killed Story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Changing Database Traits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Database Traits Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Directory/Queue Properties Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Forms Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Groups Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Abstract Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Maintain Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
User Interface Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Locks Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Locking and Unlocking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Identifying Locked Queues and Stories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
From the iNEWS Workstation... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
From the Console... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Types of Locks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Edit Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
User Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Order Lock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Production Lock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Unbusy Stories and Queues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Chapter 6

Groups
Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Viewing Group Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
From the Console... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
From a Workstation.... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Creating a New Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Step 1 - Choosing a Group Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Step 2 - Create New Group at Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Step 3 - Specifying Members of a New Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Group Checker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Group Checker Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Renaming a Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Step 1 - Change Group Name in System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Step 2 - Change Group Name in SYSTEM.GROUPS . . . . . . . . . . 164
Deleting a Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Creating or Modifying Multiple Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Adding Members to an Existing Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Users as Members of a Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Groups as Members of Other Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Avoiding Recursion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Workstations as Members of Groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Combining Permissions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Setting an Automatic Timeout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Group Access and Usage Restrictions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Access and Usage Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Group Traits for the Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Read Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Write Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Notification Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Restricted Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Restricting Both Reading and Writing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Transferring Group Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Hiding Queues and Directories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Mail Aliases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Creating a Mail Alias. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Mail Aliases for Other Machines or the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181

Chapter 7

Keyboards and Macros
Understanding Macros and Keyboards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Customizing Workstation Keyboards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Creating a New Keyboard Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Creating a Macro. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Adding Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Assigning Macros to Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Predefined System Function Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
State Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Using Plain Text in Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Repeating Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Notes of Caution for Creating Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Keyboard Checker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Warning Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Assigning a Default Keyboard to a User . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198

Chapter 8

Forms
Form Names, Locations and Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Guidelines for Designing Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Creating Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Customizing Forms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Label Borders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Assigning a Form as a Queue or Story Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Form Field Types and Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
iNEWS MCS/ControlAir Fields and Forms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226

Standard iNEWS Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Account Queue Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Mail Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Print Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Find All Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Wire Story Form. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232

Chapter 9

Character Generator Title Entry
Overview of CG Title Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Title Entry Setup and Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Understanding CG Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
CG Template Backgrounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Required Bitmaps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Capture Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Hardware Requirements for Capture Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Installation of Capture Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Using the Capture Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
CG Template Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Edit Title Entry Template Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Creating a New Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Using Font PreSets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Title Entry Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Access to CG Template Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Access to CG Title Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256

Chapter 10

System Configuration Files
Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Making a Backup File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Viewing System Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Printing a Copy of a File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Licensing of iNEWS Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Viewing Information About Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
List C Message Columns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Configuration File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

vii

Changing the Configuration File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Testing the Site Configuration File After Changing. . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Incorporating Configuration Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
Hosts File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
System Profiles Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Changing the System Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Listing Parameter Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
System Profile Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Adding Devices to Your iNEWS System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Adding a PCU or PC-PCU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
PCU Device Numbering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Adding a Workstation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Adding a Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Adding a Wire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298
Alternative Editing of the Site Configuration File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Intersystem Messaging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
Sending Intersystem Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
Receiving Intersystem Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Database Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
iNEWS Workstation Session Behavior. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306

Chapter 11

Printers
System Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
The Printer Profile Files in /site/printers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Customizing Print Effects (Fonts) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310
Defining a Font. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310
Combining Print Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
Defining Print Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
Defining a Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
Combining Setup Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
Font and Form Space Available. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
Printer Profile Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
Profile-Only Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
Profile and Style Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Standard Header and Footer Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320

viii

User-Selected Headers and Footers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
Profile Option Defaults. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322
Using Special Characters in a Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323
Using Nonprinting Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323
Avoiding Characters Used by the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324
Creating and Using Print Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
Creating a Style Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
Changing System Profile Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
Selecting Forms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
Identifying and Selecting Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
Local Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333
Local Printing Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334
Local Print Style Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340
Banner Format Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346
Example Style Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348
Managing Printers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
Removing a Pending Print Request. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
Restarting the Current Print Request. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
Reordering a Pending Print Request . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
Cancelling a Runaway Print Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
Responding to a “Printer Offline” Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352

Chapter 12

Wires
Adding a Wire – Avid Data Receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
Phase 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
Phase 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355
Phase 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357
Phase 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357
Adding a Wire – PCU Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358
Phase 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358
Phase 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359
Phase 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363
Phase 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364
Wire Profile Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366
Wire Profile Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368

Using Special Characters in a Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382
Entering Nonprinting Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382
Entering Characters by Alias . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382
Entering Characters by Decimal Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382
Avoiding Characters Used by the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383
Converting Text with Accents and Diacritical Marks. . . . . . . . . . . . 384
Distributing Stories from the Wire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386
Defining Distribution of Wire Stories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386
Creating a Distribution Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387
Identifying a Destination Queue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388
Changing Notification Priority. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
Setting the Transmit or Always Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
Adding a Distribution Line. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390
Avoiding Hidden Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390
Using the WIRES.ALL Notification Priority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
Distributing Unknown Wires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392
Maximum Number of Lines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
Mailboxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
Purge Intervals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
Internationalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394
Operating Wire Keyword Searches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394
Setting up Keyword Searching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394
Additional Information about Search Jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397
Suppressing a Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397
Default Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397
Keyword Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398
Keyword Searching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398
Using Parentheses in Searches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400
Tips on Building Search Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401
User Notification. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402
Removing a Rule Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402
Sending a Story to More Than One Queue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402
Default Directory Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402
The Keyword Mailbox. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
Keyword Checker Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
x

Chapter 13

Servers
Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
Adding a Server Program to the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409
Job Lists: Queues, Stories, and Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412
Defining Tasks for Servers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413
Adding a Scan Line in a Job List Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414
Defining a Server Command Set. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415
Defining Mailbox Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419
Using Mailboxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419
Assigning a Mailbox to a Queue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422
Defining Timed-Interval Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423
Action Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425
Adding an Action Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427
Assigning Field Validation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 430
Background and Possible Uses of Validation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 430
Using Validation with Action Servers or Tx Links . . . . . . . . . . 431
Using the Validation Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431
Validation Job List Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 433
Mirroring Rundowns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 434
Polling for Action Servers/Tx Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 435
Configuring Rundown Mirroring. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 436
Distribution Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440
Assigning Distribution Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441
Using Wildcards and the Destination Queue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 442
From the Command Line. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443
Using an Action Server or Tx Link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443
Instructions in the Wire Distribution Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444
Matching and Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445
Matching and Order. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445
Adding a Distribution Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 446
Parallel Wire Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450
Adding a Parallel Wire Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451
Keyword Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 458
Adding a Keyword Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 462
System Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 468
xi

Seek Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 468
Installing a Seek Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 469
Fast Text Search (FTS) Servers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 471
FTS Workflow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 471
Installing FTS Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 474
...On the Windows-based Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475
...On iNEWS Servers (Linux) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 478
Batch Indexing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 482
Archival and Backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 484
Print Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 485
Adding a Print Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 486
Mail Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 488
Disabling Mail to All Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 488
Using Network Mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 488
Using 8-Bit Characters in Mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 489
Character Conversion Table for Underscore-Prefix Format. . . 490
Monitor Servers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495
Configuring Monitor Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 496
Configuration Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 496
Configuration Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 497
Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 519
Creating Styles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 521
Using the Monitor Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 526
Network iNEWS Systems Using Rx/Tx Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 528
Sending Story Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 528
Setting Automatic Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 529
Updating Queue Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 530
Changing Queue Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 531
Adding Rx/Tx Links. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 531
Adding Network Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 532

Chapter 14

Web Publishing and Access
Web Publishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 542
Setting Up Txnet to Send HTML. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 542
Default HTML Export Template and Queue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 545

xii

Creating an HTML Export Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 545
Adding Story Entity References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 545
NSML to HTML Conversion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 548
Using Optional Format Strings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 552
A Sample HTML Export Template. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 555
Web Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 559
The Web Server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 559
Web Access Login . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 559
Web Access Story Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 560
Web Access Directory and Queue Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 563
Template Entities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 564
Web Access Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 572

Appendix A

Command References
Programs Invoked by iNEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 578
Commands Used by Avid Personnel Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 578
Linux Commands Used in iNEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 579
Console Control Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 580
Console Server Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 584
Job List Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 627
Dialog Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 633

Appendix B

System Files
/etc/dhcpd.conf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 642
/etc/hosts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 642
/site/config . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 643
/site/printers/hplaser1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 647
/site/system. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 647
/site/wires/anpa7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 648
console.cfg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 649
SYSTEM.CLIENT.WINDOWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 650
SYSTEM.CONFIGURE.301-ACTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 651
SYSTEM.MAP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 652
SYSTEM.RESOURCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 654
SYSTEM.WIRES.DISTRIBUTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 656

xiii

SYSTEM.WIRES.KEYWORDS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 657
SYSTEM.WIRES.KEYWORDS-AP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 657
SYSTEM.WIRES.KEYWORDS-AP2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 658

Appendix C

Standard Dictionaries
Using Dictionaries to Define Messages and Commands . . . . . . . . . . . 660
Customizing Dictionaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 662
Changing Default Dictionary Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 662
Restoring Dictionary Defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 666
Utility Messages Dictionary (/site/dict/messages) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 667
DBServer Program Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 669
Disconnect Program Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 669
Category and Keyword Check Program Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 670
Keyboard Check Program Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 671
Keyboard Check Program Messages for Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 671
Grpcheck Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 673
Wire Program Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 675
Mail Server Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 676
Validation (Action) Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 676
Seek Server Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 676
Last Login Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 677
Messages for Print Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 678
Message for the Sony Barcode Printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 678
dbtraits Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 678
ccumsgs Dictionary (/site/dict/ccumsgs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 678
PCU Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 679
Commands Dictionary (/site/dict/ccucmds) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 682
Job List Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 687
Queues Dictionary (/site/dict/queues) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 688
Words Dictionary (/site/dict/words) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 691
Connect Dictionary (/site/dict/doac) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 695
Telex Dictionary (/site/dict/telex) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 699
Dial Dictionary (/site/dict/dial) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 701
Keyboard Macros Dictionary (/site/dict/keymacros) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 702
Printer Messages Dictionary (/site/dict/printmsgs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 704

xiv

Case-shifting Dictionary (/site/dict/shift) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 705
MCS Dictionary (/site/dict/mcs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 707
Device Types Used by Monitor Servers and Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . 707
Special Strings Recognized by the Monitor Server . . . . . . . . . . . . 708
Error Messages for the Monitor Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 708
Error Messages Shared by Monitor Servers and Drivers . . . . . . . 711
Driver Errors Sent to MCT Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 711
Driver Errors Sent to MCT and Possibly to Console & Mon User . 711
Driver Errors Sent to User Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 712
Status Reported in Device Status Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 712

Appendix D

PCU Reference
Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 714
PCUs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 714
Resetting a PCU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 715
PCU LED Displays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 715
Connecting Devices to a PCU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 717
Locating Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 717
Connecting a PCU to the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 717

Appendix E

Character Maps
ASCII (7-bit) Character Set. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 719
IBM Character Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 725
dbrestore Character Map (Arabic) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 732
Sample Arabic Wire Profile. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 733

Appendix F

Environment Variables
Registry Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 738
Environment Variables (Registry Values). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 739
CCColor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 740
DestinationOrder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 742
MailLookup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 743
MsgMailAlert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 744
PIColor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 746
RGB Hexadecimal Color Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 747

ShowTimingBar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 748
SyncToServer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 752
Delete_Notify . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 754
Environmental Variables for Servers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 755

Appendix G

Managing Traits at the Console
Viewing User Traits from the Console. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 760
Modifying User Traits from the Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 761
Changing a Users’ Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 762
Listing Users Who Do Not Have Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 764
User Traits Console Command Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 768
Managing Database Traits from the Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 773
Getting Basic Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 773
Getting Detailed Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 774
Changing Database Traits from the Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 775
Changing a Parent Directory Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 775
Database Traits Console Command Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 776
Sortfield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 785
Purge Interval. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 787
Abstract Printing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 788
Mailbox. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 790
The dis Column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 791
Managing Group Traits at the Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 793
Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 793
Restricting Access Using Read and Write Limitations . . . . . . . . . . 795
Removing Directory or Queue Restrictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 796

Appendix H

The Line Editor, ed
Launching ed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 798
Specifying Lines to Edit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 798
Searching the File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800
Editing Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 801
Saving Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 804
Quitting ed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 805

Index
xvi

Using This Guide
Congratulations on your purchase of an Avid iNEWS newsroom computer
system. It is a vital part of the Avid Unity for News system solution that
integrates with other Avid systems and third-party equipment to provide an
ideal nonlinear workflow and optimize the news production process.
This manual provides information on how to manage the iNEWS
newsroom computer system, consisting of:

•

A console

•

One or more servers

•

Various clients, such as iNEWS Workstations and printers

The documentation describes software features and hardware related to
the iNEWS newsroom computer system, which is extremely customizable.
Your system may not contain certain features and/or parts that are
mentioned in the documentation.

Who Should Use This Manual
This manual is written for system administrators who are managing the
iNEWS newsroom computer system (NRCS). It is strongly recommended
that system administrators have prior experience in or classroom
knowledge of Red Hat Linux system administration. All iNEWS system
administrators need to:
•

Manage user accounts, security and permissions

•

Start up and shut down iNEWS NRCS

•

Perform file system maintenance, backup, and recovery

Using This Guide

•

Maintain disks

•

Monitor processes

•

Configure and monitor the network

About This Manual
This manual is part of a two-book set designed to keep pace with current
advances in the Avid system’s news production capabilities. The
set—made up of this book and the Avid iNEWS Operations and
Troubleshooting Manual—is a comprehensive resource of all the
information you will need to take advantage of the many options available
to you. This manual will lead you through even the most complex
procedures with task-oriented instructions. The information provided here
builds on basic news production procedures described in the help system
and other user-based guides, while adding a complete explanation of all the
tools and techniques required to manage the newsroom computer system,
including useful tips, shortcuts, and custom options.
The Contents lists all topics included in this guide. They are presented with
the following overall structure:

•

The Introduction helps you get oriented with beginning concepts and
general workflow and provides valuable pointers to keep in mind as
you proceed.

•

The main body of this guide follows the natural flow of your work,
with clear and comprehensive step-by-step procedures.

•

Finally, a detailed Index helps you quickly locate specific topics.

Symbols and Conventions

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.

Margin tips

In the margin, you will find tips that help you
perform tasks more easily and efficiently.

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, such
as commands entered at the console multiplexor.
Output displayed on the console screen will appear
in regular Courier font.

Using This Guide

Symbol or Convention Meaning or Action

Lengthy console displays may be edited to emphasize only the most
important information in this manual. An ellipsis (...) represents portions of
the console display not shown in the text. The console can display each
server’s prompt based on the system ID (typically a station’s call letters)
and the server’s name. Examples in this manual use NRCS as the fictional
station and system ID. For instance, the following is the console prompt for
server A on the NRCS system: NRCS-A$

Click

Quickly click and release the left mouse button.

Double-click

Click the left mouse button twice rapidly.

Right-click

Quickly click and release the right mouse button.

Drag

Click and hold the left mouse button while you move
the mouse.

Ctrl+key

Press and hold the first key, such as Ctrl, Alt, or
Shift, while you press the second key.

If You Need Help
If you are having trouble using iNEWS:
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 for the latest information that might have become available
after the documentation was published in one of two locations:

n
4

If release notes are available, they ship with your application CD,
are in PDF format, and may be viewed from the CD using Adobe®
Reader, a program freely available on the Internet.

If ReadMe files are available, they are supplied in your Avid
application folder. ReadMe files are also available from Help.

Release notes and ReadMe files are also available on the Avid Knowledge
Center.

If You Need Help

3. Check the documentation that came with your Avid application or your
hardware for maintenance or hardware-related issues.
4. Visit the Knowledge Center at www.avid.com/support. Online support
services are available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Search this
online Knowledge Center to find answers, to view error messages, to
access troubleshooting tips, to download updates, and to read/join
online message-board discussions.
5. For Technical Support, please call 800-800-AVID (800-800-2843).
For Broadcast On-Air Sites and Call Letter Stations, call
800-NEWSDNG (800-639-7364).

...With the Syntax of Console Commands
If you are at the console, and are unsure about the function of a console
command, use the help command.
To view instructions about using a command, type help followed by the
name of the command. For instance, type help dbvisit for an
explanation of the dbvisit command. The following data appears:
dbvisit - -{r or m name] -[s] [block# ...]
‘r’ for read only
‘s’ for “slow” to eliminate cache usage
‘m’ for machine name to disconnect
‘i’ to just validate isam files

Because of the margin limitations of this manual, console command lines
may appear wrapped to multiple lines. This does not necessarily indicate
the need to press an Enter key. Unless otherwise indicated, console
commands should be typed on a single line, allowing the computer to wrap
the text whenever the command line stretches beyond the screen margin.
See “Types of Console Commands” on page 28 for more information.

Using This Guide

Related Information
The following documents provide more information about the iNEWS
newsroom computer system:
•

iNEWS NRCS Prep, Installation, and Upgrade Manual

•

iNEWS NRCS Training Guide

•

iNEWS NRCS Release Notes

The following documents provide more information about some of the
other Avid products that integrate with the iNEWS newsroom computer
system:

•

iNEWS ControlAir Installation and Operations Manual

•

iNEWS ControlAir User Manual

•

iNEWS ControlAir Release Notes

•

Avid Data Receiver Installlation and Operations Manual

•

MOS Gateway Installation and Operations Manual

•

MOS Gateway Release Notes

•

Media Browse Installation and Operations Manual

•

Media Browse Training Manual

•

Media Browse Release Notes

For the latest information on all Avid products and documentation on other
Unity for News products, such as the Avid AirSPACE video server, Avid
Active ContentManager, or the Avid NewsCutter nonlinear editing system,
see the Avid Knowledge Center: http://support01.avid.com.

If You Have Documentation Comments
We’d appreciate any comments or suggestions you may have about this
document or any other piece of documentation. Please restrict your
comments to documentation issues.

How to Order Documentation

Please e-mail your documentation comments to:
TechPubs-WI@avid.com
Include the title of the document, its part number, and the specific section
you are commenting on in all correspondence.

How to Order Documentation
To order additional copies of this documentation from within the
United States, call Avid Sales at 800-949-AVID (800-949-2843). If you are
placing an order from outside the United States, contact your local
Avid representative.

Avid Educational Services
For information on courses/schedules, training centers, certifications,
courseware, and books, please visit www.avid.com/training or call
Avid Sales at 800-949-AVID (800-949-2843).

Using This Guide

Chapter 1
Introduction
As part of the Avid Unity for News broadcast solution, the iNEWS
newsroom computer system is an integrated, digital news creation, and
production system. It provides journalists, producers, directors, writers,
and technical personnel in a newsroom with an array of tools to make their
jobs easier.
This chapter contains the following main sections:
•

What is Avid Unity for NEWS?

•

System Administrator Tasks

Chapter 1 Introduction

What is Avid Unity for NEWS?
The Avid Unity for News system is a nonlinear shared storage media
network that enables the immediate and simultaneous availability of
footage upon acquisition to both journalists and editors; the sharing of
footage among teams for shot selection, script writing, and production; the
parallel editing of news packages and promotions; and on-air playout,
without dubbing back to tape, within moments of story completion. It is a
truly integrated broadcasting solution that minimizes lag between
processes, where even activities such as asset management and Web
updating become concurrent tasks that facilitate production, without
interfering with the primary objective of putting the news on the air.
In the Avid Unity for News workflow, the Avid iNEWS newsroom
computer system provides up-to-date news data throughout the newsroom
and seamlessly links all tasks in the production process, such as wire
service, assignment desk, script writing, browse, editing, rundown,
playout, and device control tasks.
The Avid Unity for News environment consists of integration between
several Avid products, such as:
•

The Avid iNEWS newsroom computer system

•

The Avid Media Browse system, including Avid Capture Manager

•

The Avid iNEWS ControlAir system

•

The Avid NewsCutter nonlinear editing system

•

Avid Active ContentManager

•

Avid AirSPACE video server(s)

Your newsroom may have any one or all of these products and others not
mentioned in this brief summary.

What is Avid Unity for NEWS?

The figure below shows a typical high- and low-resolution workflow, from
capture to playout, in a shared storage environment with an iNEWS
newsroom computer system:

iNEWS NRCS
An iNEWS newsroom computer system (NRCS) provides:
•

News gathering from video, audio, and text sources

•

News production, including:
-

Story creation and script editing

Show planning and creation

Chapter 1 Introduction

•

News to air, including:
-

On-air playback control

File exporting

Internet publishing

In an Avid Unity for News environment, Web production processes can
occur in parallel with newcast production.
For more information,
see “NRCS
Components” in
Chapter 1 of the
iNEWS Installation and
Upgrade Manual.

Some primary components of iNEWS NRCS include:
•

Linux-based computers running the iNEWS Server software. In this
manual, these host computers are referred to as the iNEWS Servers, or
individually as server A, server B, and so forth.

•

An IBM/Intel-compatible personal computer (PC) running the iNEWS
console multiplexor program. This PC is known as the console. See
Chapter 2, “The iNEWS Console” for more information.

•

Windows-based computer running the iNEWS client software. These
PCs are known as iNEWS Workstations

•

Other clients, such as printers.

Third-Party Connectivity and Open Integration
Avid’s commitment to open integration and conformance with industrystandard technologies is clearly demonstrated as a major feature of the
Unity for News product set. Avid supports open integration by, among
other methods, offering no fewer than 13 Applications Programming
Interfaces (APIs) for Avid products to interact with third-party devices,
software, and custom development, such as the general NRCS-MOS
protocol agreement, or Transfer Manager APIs.
The iNEWS system is capable of interfacing with a wide variety of major
control systems and servers with dedicated device interfaces, including
Omnibus™ and Sony®. The iNEWS system has an efficient Active-X
implementation of the MOS protocol, which greatly extends its interfacing
abilities. For instance, in conjunction with iNEWS, ControlAir provides a

System Administrator Tasks

central point of control for up to 32 production devices, such as video
servers, character generators, and still store machines from third-party
manufacturers; a sample of which is provided in Table 1.

Table 1

Third-Party Integration

Device Type

Manufacturers

Video Servers

Sony, Grass Valley™, and Quantel

Character Generators

Chyron, Aston, Pinnacle, Abekas, Quantel, and Pixel
Power

Still Store Machines

Leitch® and Quantel

The Avid Unity Transfer Manager productivity tool synchronizes with the
iNEWS rundown to determine file transfer priority—the story that appears
sooner in the rundown will automatically be ranked higher in the queue,
and playout order of the newscast matches the rundown precisely.
In addition to conforming to accepted, standard file formats, such as Open
Media Framework (OMF), Avid systems accept media in more than 30
other file formats, allowing them to accept, use, track, and present any
media, images, graphics, audio, scripts, or notes.

System Administrator Tasks
The following sections introduce many system administrator
responsibilities and the system’s capabilities and functions.

Basic Tasks
Before you can customize or maintain the iNEWS newsroom computer
system, you must learn several basic tasks, which include:
•

Start up or shut down iNEWS NRCS, which includes logging out users
and taking the system offline.
13

Chapter 1 Introduction

•

Backing up a site file before making file modifications.

•

Send system administrator commands from the console to one or more
of your system’s computers.

•

Be a console superuser, capable of setting up special superuser
permissions.

User Tasks
A user is anyone who can log in to the database and use iNEWS NRCS.
Your responsibilities regarding users are:
•

Monitor user information, such as users’ access privileges and which
users are currently logged in.

•

Customize the traits of users’ accounts to enable users to more
effectively use the system.

•

Provide a new employee access to the information stored in the
iNEWS NRCS database by creating a new user account.

•

Remove user accounts of former employees to prevent improper
access to the iNEWS NRCS database.

Database Tasks
The iNEWS system database contains the information your oganization
needs to function. A system administrator’s tasks associated with the
database include:

•

Design forms (that is, story templates) to display important
information about stories in a queue.

•

Monitor changes to files and queues in the database.

•

Unlock or delete any item in the database, and recover items that were
accidentally deleted or corrupted.

•

Create new folders or queues in the iNEWS system database to meet
your organization’s expanding needs.

•

Remove a directory or queue from the database, if it is no longer used.

•

Change the name or traits of an existing directory or queue.

System Administrator Tasks

•

Assign the mailbox trait to queues for configuring automatic story
distribution into and out of queues.

Security Tasks
There are many ways to ensure the security of your iNEWS system. Your
responsibilities regarding system security include:
•

Monitor and change passwords or force users to change them by
setting up system checks and modifications.

•

Monitor user login activity to guard against unauthorized use of the
iNEWS system.

•

Assign security to a directory or queue, limiting access to a specific
group of users.

•

Restrict database access by placing users into security groups based on
job roles and need for information.

Customizing the System
Your responsibilities regarding customization include:
•

Customize command names, message text, and other items by
changing their entries in your system’s dictionary files.

•

Remove your custom dictionary translations by reverting to the default
settings for command names, message text, and other items.

•

Create templates for the CG Title Entry tool.

•

Design and assign custom keyboards for users with a unique set of
keyboard macros.

Storage Maintenance Tasks
You will want to monitor the database regularly to ensure adequate storage.
Storage maintenance tasks include:

Chapter 1 Introduction

•

Monitor how much free space is available in the database and, if
necessary, increase the amount to prevent the system from running out
of space.

•

Perform preventive database maintenance by periodically running
certain utility programs that can find and fix minor problems before
they become serious.

•

Backup the entire database or portions of it onto tape, so if necessary,
the information can be restored to the database later.

•

Make a backup copy of files, such as the site file, on tape any time you
make important changes.

Device Tasks
A device is any kind of hardware or software that performs a specific
function when it is set up on the iNEWS system. Your responsibilities
regarding devices include:

•

List the parameters of any device running on your system or list all
devices of one type.

•

Add any type of device to your system, if you have the capacity and
license permission.

•

Edit site-specific files, to change the setup information for a device in
your system’s configuration file.

•

Reconfigure the system so it recognizes any changes you make to your
system’s devices.

•

Setup printer styles so that different tasks can be printed in predesignated formats.

•

Setup servers which are utility programs that automatically perform
various actions on the stories in your database.

•

Change wire distribution and sorting of data coming into your database
from a wire service to queues based on their category codes or content.

•

Write dialogs (lists of instructions) for each service to automate the
connection process. A service is a device that connects a user to a
remote computer system.

System Administrator Tasks

Reviewing Default Settings
Your responsibilities regarding system profiles, default settings, and
command syntax include:
•

Changing a system profile setting to change your system’s operation.

•

Reviewing default settings of all system profile parameters.

•

Reviewing command syntax for edit, console, and job list commands.

Troubleshooting
Your troubleshooting responsibilities include:
•

Transfer system activities from a halted computer to other system
computers. If a computer connected to the system has been halted,
bring the system back to operation using the remaining computers.

•

Reconnect a computer that has been halted. Following routine
maintenance, reintegrate a computer into your system’s operation.

Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2
The iNEWS Console
The iNEWS console multiplexor serves as a “command center” that
enables system administrators to monitor and maintain the iNEWS
newsroom computer system.
This chapter contains the following main sections:
•

Overview
-

•

The Console Display

Standard Console Operations
-

Starting the Console

The System Operator

The Console Superuser

Exiting the Console

Troubleshooting a Frozen Console

Types of Console Commands
-

Server Commands

Console Control Commands

Console Function Keys

•

Selecting Servers

•

Console History

•

Using the Remote Console

•

The Console Configuration File

Chapter 2 The iNEWS Console

Overview
The iNEWS console multiplexor—commonly known as the console—is an
IBM/Intel-compatible personal computer (PC) running custom-created
Avid software. The console PC connects—via a serial link—to computers
running the iNEWS Server software, and communicates with each server
simultaneously.
With an external analog modem line, the console also provides a secure
remote console feature, that allows a system administrator or Avid
Customer Support personnel, if necessary, to do routine maintenance and
diagnostic work while away from the computer room. See “Using the
Remote Console” on page 40 for more information.
Figure 1 shows a sample layout for a dual-server newsroom computer
system.

Console
Multiplexor

Modem

Two Mirrored
iNEWS Servers

Figure 1

Layout of iNEWS NRCS Console and Servers

Overview

The Console Display
Although the console can control multiple servers, your console has one
screen, which is often divided into regions to separate the output from each
server. The user can alter the display to show multiple regions or a single
region.
Figure 2 shows a console display for a dual-server system; the console
screen is divided into two regions. Your console screen has as many
regions as there are host servers in your system.

“A” computer
region

“B” computer
region is
selected.

Figure 2

Console Screen for a Dual-Server System

To identify which region belongs to which server, the console displays the
name of the server that a region represents in that region’s lower right
corner.

Each server’s name is based on the system ID (typically a station’s call
letters) and the server’s name (usually a single letter, such as A, B, or C).
Examples in this manual use NRCS as the fictional station and system ID,
as shown in Figure 2.

Chapter 2 The iNEWS Console

In Figure 2, the top region displays the output from server A, and the
bottom region displays the output from server B. The wavy lines (^^^) to
the left of the identifier for server B indicate that it is currently selected or
active. Each region will have its own server and command prompts, after
which you may enter various commands. See “Types of Console
Commands” on page 28 for more information.
Should data shown in a region extend beyond the size of the screen, the
user may temporarily pause the display output. See “To pause the screen
display:” on page 35 for more information.

Standard Console Operations
The following section contains information about basic console operations,
such as starting the console, logging in, entering console superuser mode,
and troubleshooting.

Starting the Console
If your console has been turned completely off, it should start the console
program automatically when it boots up. If not, it may be started from the
operating system prompt.
To start up the console from your operating system prompt:

1. Type: console
2. Press Enter.
The console display will appear with multiple regions—as shown in
Figure 2 on page 21—each region associated with a server and showing
the following prompt:
login:

Standard Console Operations

The System Operator
System administrators must log in to iNEWS NRCS at the console
differently than other users who log in at an iNEWS Workstation.
Ordinarily, system administrators always remain logged in on each of your
system’s servers as the system operator.
To log in as the system operator:

1. Select the server(s) displaying the login prompt. See “Selecting
Servers” on page 33 for more information.
2. Type: so
3. Press Enter.
To keep the password
confidential, the
console does not
display what you type.

4. If your system has a password for this account—and most do—then
type in the password when prompted, and press Enter.
The system operator password is set during installation of the iNEWS
Server software on the iNEWS Servers. For information about
changing the system operator password, see “Changing System
Administration Passwords” on page 25.

The Console Superuser
A console superuser has special system privileges that allow more
powerful (and therefore potentially more dangerous) commands.
The console’s server prompt is the visual indicator for whether you are
logged in as a system operator or a superuser. The server prompt for a
system operator login ends with a dollar sign ($). The server prompt while
in superuser mode ends in a pound sign (#).
The system operator prompt looks like this:
NRCS-A$

The superuser prompt looks like this:
NRCS-A#

Chapter 2 The iNEWS Console

If a command example in this manual shows the superuser prompt
—ending in a pound sign (#)—you must be a superuser to use the
command.
Follow the procedures explained in the next section to get to the superuser
prompt.

Entering Superuser Mode
A console superuser password is required for entering superuser mode.
This password is the same as the root user password, which is set during
installation of the Linux operating system on the iNEWS Servers. See
“Changing System Administration Passwords” on page 25 for more
information.
To enter console superuser mode:

1. If you are not already logged in, then log in as a system operator, by
typing: so
2. Type: su
3. Press Enter.
To keep the password
confidential, the
console does not
display what you type.

4. Type the superuser password at the password prompt, and press Enter.
After you type the password correctly, the console shows that you are a
console superuser by changing the dollar sign ($) at the end of the server
prompt to a pound sign (#). If you enter an incorrect password, the console
displays an error message and lets you try again.
To prevent users from typing unauthorized commands, never leave the
console unattended when in superuser mode. You should log in as
superuser only when you need to type a superuser command, and exit
console superuser mode immediately after typing the command.

Exiting Superuser Mode
To exit from console superuser mode and return to system operator
mode:

Press Ctrl+D.

Standard Console Operations

The console shows that you are a console system operator by changing the
pound sign (#)at the end of the console’s server prompt to a dollar sign ($).

Changing System Administration Passwords
When logging in to the console as either a system operator or console
superuser, a password is needed. These system administration passwords
are typically set by Avid Customer Support technicians during the
installation of either the iNEWS Server software or the Linux operating
system (OS). However, they may be changed later by system
administrators at the console.
Keep a confidential record of password changes. Knowing the passwords is
critical. If you forget your passwords, the operating system may need to be
reinstalled from scratch by Avid Customer Support technicians.

For more information on changing the password for the remote console,
see “Editing the Console Configuration File” on page 44.
To change the system operator password:

1. Log in as a system operator, using the current password.
2. At the server prompt, type the password command, as shown:
NRCS-A$ passwd

3. Press Enter.
4. When prompted, type a new password, and press Enter.

If the system operator password is fewer than six characters or is based on
a word in the dictionary, the system will issue a “BAD PASSWORD...”
message, but it will accept such passwords. The system will not accept a
blank password.
5. When prompted to confirm, retype the new password, and press Enter.

Chapter 2 The iNEWS Console

To change the superuser password:

1. Enter superuser mode, using the current password.
2. At the superuser prompt, type the password command, as shown:

Changing the superuser
password also changes
the Linux root user
password, which if set
during the Linux OS
installation, must be
more than six
characters, initially.

NRCS-A# passwd

3. Press Enter.
4. When prompted, type a new password, and press Enter.
5. When prompted to confirm, retype the new password, and press Enter.
If the password does not match, the system displays an error message. Start
over by retyping the new password in step 4. Also, if the superuser
password is fewer than six characters or is based on a word in the
dictionary, the system will issue a “BAD PASSWORD...” message, but it
will accept such passwords. The system will not accept a blank password.
6. Press Ctrl+D to exit console superuser mode.

Exiting the Console
You should leave the console on at all times while the iNEWS system is
running. However, the following situations may require you to exit the
console:
•

You need to edit the console’s configuration file. See “The Console
Configuration File” on page 42 for more information.

•

The console is frozen, and you are unable to unfreeze it using the
methods described in “Troubleshooting a Frozen Console” on page 27.

To exit the console:

1. Press the Command key, as shown in Figure 3 on page 31.
2. Press Ctrl+E.
3. When COMMAND EXIT appears, press Enter.
After the console software completely shuts down, the prompt for your
operating system will appear.

Standard Console Operations

Troubleshooting a Frozen Console
If the servers on your system are not responding to commands and are not
displaying messages, there are several possible procedures you can do to
identify and resolve the problem:
To check and restart scrolling:

1. Ensure that you or someone else has not stopped scrolling. If that is the
case, XOFF is displayed under the region where scrolling has stopped,
as shown in Figure 5 on page 36.
2. Press Ctrl+Q to start scrolling.
It may also be possible that the server ports have stopped sending and
receiving.
To restart sending and receiving from server ports:
See “Console Control
Commands” on page
30 for more
information.

1. Press the Command key, as shown in Figure 3 on page 31.
2. Type: x
3. Press Enter.
If this does not restore the console, static electricity may have frozen one
or more of the servers’ I/O ports.

In the previous two procedures, the XON command is shown being issued
in two ways: first, by pressing Ctrl+Q and second, by pressing the
Command key and typing x. Either way will accomplish the exact same
thing.
To reset the servers’ I/O ports:

1. Select the affected server(s). See “Selecting Servers” on page 33 for
more information.
2. Press the Command key, as shown in Figure 3 on page 31.
3. Type: r (for reset).
4. Press Enter.

Chapter 2 The iNEWS Console

Another possible cause of a frozen console is an application program that
will not stop running. If you suspect this problem, you can stop the
program, and log in again to the console.
To stop a runaway program:

1. Select the affected server(s). See “Selecting Servers” on page 33 for
more information.
2. Hold down the Control key and press the backslash key (Ctrl+\).
This stops the program on the selected server(s).
If this does not stop the program so that the console displays a system
prompt, suspend the program by pressing Ctrl+Z—or whatever the
suspend (susp) character is. The default is Ctrl+Z.
You can use the jobs command to list suspended programs and kill
suspended programs by using the kill command along with a percent sign
(%) and the job number, such as: kill %1.
If the console still does not respond, exit the console program and restart it
as described in “Exiting the Console” on page 26 and “Starting the
Console” on page 22.

Types of Console Commands
You can type two kinds of commands at the console:
•

Server commands are sent to the iNEWS Servers.

•

Console control commands are sent to the iNEWS console software
that communicates with the servers.

Some examples of server and console control commands appear as part of
procedures in “Standard Console Operations” on page 22. Further
information on these commands are provided in the next two sections of
this chapter. Also, see “If You Need Help...With the Syntax of Console
Commands” on page 5 for more information.

Types of Console Commands

Server Commands
The iNEWS system will not recognize server commands entered in upper
case. Type server commands at the console in lower case after the prompt
for the server to which you want the command sent. For instance, if you
want to send a command to server A, type the command after the server
prompt associated with server A.

The console displays each server’s prompt based on the system ID and the
server’s name, separated by a hyphen. Examples in this manual use NRCS
as the system ID and single letters—such as A, B, or C—as the server
name.
For instance, the server prompt may appear like this:
NRCS-A$

The appearance of the server prompt varies, depending on how the system
administrator is logged in to the console. See “The Console Superuser” on
page 23 for more information.
An example of a server command is the list sessions command—or
list s command—which when sent to an iNEWS Server will return
information about who is logged in.
To send a server command to multiple servers simultaneously:

Type the command followed by a pound sign (#).

The # character acts as a place holder for each server name. It is replaced
with each server’s computer name, such as A or B, before the console
sends the server command to all servers in the system. This allows system
administrators to send commands to multiple servers without having to
select each server and send commands individually. For instance, the
connect # command sends connect a to server A, connect b to
server B, and so forth.
To stop a server command:

Press Delete.

Chapter 2 The iNEWS Console

If that does not work, press Ctrl+C—the stty interrupt character. Doing so
will interrupt the command’s execution. As a last resort, pressing the
Control and Backslash keys (Ctrl+\—the stty quit character) will stop the
command’s execution. Avid recommends you should attempt to “interrupt”
before trying to “quit” the execution.
If the server sends a message while you are typing a command, the console
stops displaying your keystrokes to display the message. However, it
continues to record what you type. After it has displayed the message, then
the console will display the data you typed in its entirety.
If you are interrupted by a console display or have mistyped a command,
you can cancel the entire command line and start over by typing Ctrl+U.

The character used to issue the command that cancels an entire command
line—known as the “kill” character—may be customized, using the stty
command. For instance, to set it to “at” character, you would type:
stty kill @. To reset it to the default Ctrl+U, type:
stty kill ^U.
The same customization capability applies to the “intr” or “interrupt”
character, which is used to interrupt a running program. For instance, to
set it to the Delete key, type: stty intr ^?. To reset it to the default
Ctrl+C, type: stty intr ^C.
To clarify, the ^U and ^C —shown above— mean to hold the Shift key
down and press the 6 key, to get the ^ character, and then the U or C letter
key respectively. The same applies to the ^?. You can view these settings by
entering the server command: stty -a

Console Control Commands
The Enter key on the
numeric keypad will be
called the Command
key throughout this
manual to prevent
confusion with the
Enter key on the
keyboard.

The Enter key on the numeric keypad is the console’s Command (CMD)
key. See Figure 3. When you press it, the console displays the command
prompt—also called the command line—from which you can type in
commands.
The command prompt appears as shown:
COMMAND^

Types of Console Commands

To enter console control commands:

1. Press the Command key, as shown in Figure 3.
2. Type the console control command.
Some of the most common console control commands are those used
to activate a region of the console display—by selecting an iNEWS
Server(s)—and those commands used to view a record of messages
displayed on the console, known as the console history. These
commands are explained in “Selecting Servers” on page 33 and
“Console History” on page 35. For a complete list of console control
commands, see “Console Control Commands” on page 580.
3. Press Enter—also called the Return key—on the standard keyboard for
the command to be executed.
Figure 3 shows the location of the two keys on a typical console keyboard.
Function keys

Return key
CMD key

Standard keyboard

Figure 3

Numeric keypad

Typical iNEWS Console Keyboard

If you make a mistake when typing a command, use the Backspace key to
move the cursor back and then type over the error.

Console Function Keys
The system administrator may preprogram the keyboard function keys to
execute commands. For instance, you may program F1 to select server A,
F2 to select server B, and F7 to move up 200 lines in the console history
buffer.

Chapter 2 The iNEWS Console

Assigning a Command to a Function Key
To assign a command to a function key:

1. Press the Command key.
2. Type the name of the function key you want to use, followed by the
equal sign (=) and the command the key is supposed to execute. The
following example assigns the command of choosing server A to the
F1 key: f1=c a
3. Press Enter.
To assign a command sequence to a function key—that is, include the
Command and Enter keys in the definition—use the open brace ({) to
represent Command, and the close brace (}) to represent Enter. For
example, to program the complete command sequence (press Command
key, type computer command to select all servers, and press Enter) to
function key F10, you would type: f10={c *}
Changing the Assignment of a Function Key
To change a command assigned to a function key:

Assign a new definition to the key.

Deleting the Definition of a Function Key
To delete a function key’s command assignment:

Assign it a null value.

Displaying Function Key Assignments
To find out the command (if any) assigned to a key:

1. Press the Command key.
2. Type the name of the key, such as, F9.
3. Press Enter.
Press Command again to clear the command assignment from the console
screen.

Selecting Servers

Selecting Servers
On the console, you can select one server or multiple servers at the same
time. For instance, some commands must be executed on all servers
simultaneously, so on a two-server system, you must select both server A
and B before typing in the command.

Selecting One or More Servers
To select only server A:

1. Press the Command key, as shown in Figure 3 on page 31.
2. Do one of the following:
t

Type: computer a

Type: c a

3. Press Enter.
To select both the A and B servers:

1. Press the Command key, as shown in Figure 3 on page 31.
2. Do one of the following:
t

Type: computer ab

Type: c ab

3. Press Enter.
To select all servers in the iNEWS system:

1. Press the Command key, as shown in Figure 3 on page 31.
2. Type: c *
3. Press Enter.
Selecting all servers enables you to send a command to all of them
simultaneously. When you select all servers, each server region’s bottom
line changes to a wavy line of caret symbols (^^^). Only one cursor
appears, usually in the top region; however, the console commands you
type appear simultaneously in each region of the console screen.
33

Chapter 2 The iNEWS Console

Zooming in on One Server
In addition to the computer command, you can also use the zoom
command to select a server. Unlike the computer command, which
operates in multiple region mode, zoom selects one server at a time and
devotes the entire console screen to that server (or region).
To zoom in on one server, such as server B:

1. Press the Command key, as shown in Figure 3 on page 31.
2. Do one of the following:
t

Type: zoom b

Type: z b

3. Press Enter.
Figure 4 shows the console screen after “zooming in” on server B’s region.

Figure 4

“Zooming In” On Server B

Console History

To restore the screen to its former multiple region state, use the
computer command to select any server. It does not matter which one
you select; the console screen will revert to a multiple region display, and
the region for the selected server will have the cursor.

Console History
When output from a server command consists of more lines than can fit in
a region, lines will be scrolled off the screen. To view this data—known as
console history—in screen-sized chunks, you must pause the screen
display.

The system may also be configured to log console history for viewing at a
later time.
To pause the screen display:

Press Ctrl+S. The console screen temporarily stops scrolling.

Pressing Ctrl+-S does not have any effect if you are using a remote
console. A remote console is connected by a modem dial-in from an
external location. See “Using the Remote Console” on page 40 for more
information.

Chapter 2 The iNEWS Console

When the screen is full of text, XOFF appears at the bottom of the selected
region, as shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5

XOFF Message Indicating Scrolling Is Paused

To manually resume scrolling:

Press Ctrl+Q.

Even if you do not press Ctrl+Q, the console automatically resumes
scrolling after a pause of 60 seconds.

Console History

Viewing Recent Console History
The console maintains a history buffer containing messages that have
appeared on the screen. You can go back in “console history” to review
prior activity on any of the iNEWS Servers.
Top of History
(Oldest Portion)

Console
Screen

Bottom of History
(Newest Portion)
Figure 6

Console History

As shown in Figure 6, the “top” of the buffer contains the oldest
information; the “bottom” of the buffer contains the most current.
To view recent history on a particular server:

1. Zoom in to the server whose history you want to review.
2. Press the Command key, as shown in Figure 3 on page 31.
Pressing Enter is
equivalent to down 1

3. Type one of the console history commands: up, down, top, or
bottom.
The top and bottom commands move the console screen to the top
or bottom of the history.
The up and down commands by themselves move the console screen
up or down one line in the history. If you follow the up or down
commands with a number, the console screen will move up or down
that number of lines in the history. For instance, up 10, moves up—or
back in the console history—10 lines. If you follow the up or down
37

Chapter 2 The iNEWS Console

commands with a word, the console screen will search from the current
position backward or forward for that word, and if found, moves to the
line containing that word. The commands are not case sensitive.

The pound character (#) is a wild card that can be included in the word to
be searched for with the up and down commands. It is also used to search
for numbers. For instance, up 10# is a numerical search, and is not the
same as up 10, which will move up 10 lines in the console history.
4. Press Enter.
The print command may also be used to view lines of console history.
When the command is followed by a number, the screen will display that
number of lines of history, starting from the current position. When the
print command is followed by the word, all, the screen will display all
lines from the current position scrolling to the bottom of the history, or
newest line of information.

The print command does not send console history text to the printer. The
command for printing lines of history is list, followed by either a
number or the word, all. See “Console Control Commands” on page 580
for more information.

Viewing Logged Console History
You can configure iNEWS to log console history to disk for later review.
The logs are written to the hard drive on your console PC, traditionally in
the C:\Console directory. The logs are named as shown in Table 2.

Table 2

Log Names

File for server A:

File for server B:

Contains the following
information:

log.a1

log.b1

Most recent console history

log.a2

log.b2

Old console history

log.a3

log.b3

Older console history

Console History

Table 2

Log Names

File for server A:

File for server B:

Contains the following
information:

log.a4

log.b4

Oldest console history

The log.a1 file is the most recent console history; you can also view it as
shown in prior examples using the up command.
As the log.a1 file fills up, old files are renamed and a new log.a1 file is
created as follows:
•

log.a1 is renamed log.a2

•

log.a2 is renamed log.a3

•

log.a3 is renamed log.a4

•

A new log.a1 is created

The log files are ASCII text files that can be read with any word processing
program. You must exit the console program if you want to edit the logs in
any way.

You can use the console view command to view the log files without editing
or exiting to DOS, but view only lets you start at the top of the file and
scroll down. You cannot move back or search for words.
Both the presence or absence of disk logging and the size of the log files
can be configured in the console.cfg file. See “The Console
Configuration File” on page 42 for more information..

Chapter 2 The iNEWS Console

Using the Remote Console
The console should have a modem attached to it. This enables someone in
another location to call up the console and log in, thereby turning the
remote computer into a remote console. The primary use for a remote
console is to enable Avid Customer Support technicians or system
administrators to perform diagnostic and maintenance work on the iNEWS
system from a remote location.
This section explains how to dial in over a modem line, what you can
expect to see on the remote screen, and how to execute commands
remotely.

Dialing in to the Console
To dial in to the console, you must have a computer that transmits and
receives ASCII characters. You must also have set the following modem
options:

If you do not see the
prompt immediately,
pressing Enter should
display it.

•

Eight data bits

•

No Parity

•

One stop bit

•

Any baud rate supported by your console’s modem

To prevent unauthorized people from dialing in to the console, remote
access is protected with a password. When you dial in, you see a
PASSWORD prompt on the screen. After you type the correct modem
password, the console connects you to the first server listed in the console
configuration file, usually server A.
The modem password is set in the console’s configuration file. See
“Editing the Console Configuration File” on page 44 for more
information.

Using the Remote Console

At the console, MDM is displayed at the bottom of the region representing
the server that was selected from the remote console. Commands typed at
the remote console are sent to that server and displayed on its console
region. Likewise, output from that server are displayed both on the console
and the remote console.

Executing Commands Remotely
After logging in, you can type commands and review history almost as if
you were seated at the console itself. All commands except zoom are
available from the remote console. Just as at the console, these commands
can be abbreviated using the first letter in each command.
There are also some differences when using a remote console:
•

The remote console displays screen input and output for only one
server at a time, even if you have more than one selected.
When you select two or more servers, the order in which you list the
servers in the computer command determines which server’s display
you see. For instance, if you type c ab to select servers A and B, you
see output only from server A on the remote console, even though
what you type is sent to both A and B.

•

Use the Escape character instead of the Command key to display the
console command prompt.

The Escape character, by default, is set to the Escape (Esc) key; however,
the character may be customized, using the escape command in the
following format: escape
For instance, to set the Escape character to the keystroke combination of
the Control and Y keys (Ctrl+Y), type: escape Ctrl+Y
The Ctrl in the above command means to hold down the Control key
while pressing the Y letter key. It is important to remember that the escape
command can only be used from a remote console and there must be a
space after the escape command.
To reset the Escape character to its default, type the escape command,
space, then press the Escape key. For instance: escape Esc
41

Chapter 2 The iNEWS Console

Logging out from a Remote Console
To log out after you finish using the remote console:

1. Press the Escape character.
2. Type: l

The lowercased L in
step 2 stands for logout.

3. Press Enter.
4. When the remote console redisplays the PASSWORD prompt, hang up
your modem.

Logging out a Remote User from the Main Console
If you are at the main console and discover that you or someone else has
been using the remote console but did not log out when they were done,
you can log them out from the main console.
To log out a remote console user from the main console:

1. Press the Command key.
2. Type: m

The m in step 2 stands
for modem.

3. Press Enter.
Always follow this procedure before disconnecting the modem on the main
console.

The Console Configuration File
The console uses information from its own configuration file—a text file
called console.cfg—to set a number of parameters, such as:

•

Whether or not disk logging is enabled

•

Information about each of the servers connected to the console

•

Information about the remote console

The Console Configuration File

This section contains a sample configuration file, and defines the console
configuration keywords and their parameters.

Viewing the Configuration File
To view the configuration file:

1. Zoom in on one server, such as server A:
a. Press the Command key.
b. Type: z a
c. Press Enter.
2. Press the Command key.
3. Do one of the following:
t

Type: view console.cfg

Type: v console.cfg

4. Press Enter to display the first line in the console configuration file.
5. Continue pressing Enter to scroll through the file.
Sample Console Configuration File
Here is a sample console configuration file:
log c:log * 32768
computer
;“A” server
name a
label NEWS
irq 3
hostess 2c0
speed 9600
;

Chapter 2 The iNEWS Console

computer
name b
label NEWS
irq 3
hostess 2c8
speed 9600
;

;“B” server

computer
name c
label NEWS
irq 3
hostess 2d0
speed 9600
;

;“C” server

modem
;Remote console
password turtle
irq 3
hostess 2d8
speed 1200

The configuration file consists of a list of keywords, such as name and
label. Most keywords are followed by parameters, such as a and NEWS.
The keyword modem identifies the start of the modem (remote console)
section. The keyword computer identifies a server section. Each
server—including the archive server, if your system has one—and the
modem must have its own section in the console configuration file.
All keywords and their parameters are described in detail in Table 3.

Editing the Console Configuration File
Probably the only modification you will ever need to make to the console’s
configuration file is to change the modem password, used when logging in
from a remote console.

The Console Configuration File

The console configuration file is stored on a DOS PC, so you need to use a
DOS editing tool, such as edit to change it. You could also copy the file
to a diskette and take it to another location to edit using Microsoft’s
program, NOTEPAD, on a Windows-based PC.

Console Configuration Keywords
Table 3 lists all the configuration keywords and their parameters, if they
have any.
Table 3

Console Configuration Keywords

Keyword

Explanation

computer

Indicates the beginning of a server section. Must appear at the
top of each server section on the configuration file.

hostess

Indicates which port address (in hex) the console uses to
communicate with a particular device (that is, a server or the
modem). This information, which is dictated by the hardware,
was placed in the configuration file when your system was
installed and should not be changed.

irq

To get the attention of the console, each device (that is, the
servers and the modem) connected to the console must have
its own interrupt request with which it can signal the console.
The irq keyword tells the console which interrupt request to
expect from each device.
This information, which is dictated by the hardware, was
placed in the configuration file when your system was
installed and should not be changed.

label

Defines a label that the console uses to identify each server’s
region of the console screen. The label can be up to 15
alphanumeric characters long, and is typically the system ID,
a hyphen, and the server letter—A, B, C, or D.

Chapter 2 The iNEWS Console

Table 3

Console Configuration Keywords (Continued)

Keyword

Explanation

log [server(s)]
[max size]

Enables disk logging. No matter what filename (for example,
history) you designate here, the system always uses
extensions like A1, A2, and B1, as indicated in “Viewing
Logged Console History” on page 38. If you do not follow the
filename with a list of the servers for which you want history
to be recorded, the console records history for all servers. If
you omit a log size it defaults to 16,384 bytes.
This example creates a history file on drive B for servers A
and B: log b:history ab

modem

Indicates the beginning of a modem section of the
configuration file.

name

Names the server described in that section of the
configuration file. Each server must have A, B, C, or D as its
name.

password

The modem password that must be typed when someone logs
in at a remote console. The password can have up to eight
alphanumeric characters and is case sensitive.

portaddress

Selects the DOS address (in hex) the console should use to
communicate with a particular device, such as a modem. This
information which is dictated by the hardware, is placed in the
configuration file during installation and should not be
changed. Each device must have a port address defined in its
section. The portaddress keyword is used instead of
hostess when your system has four servers and a modem.
In that case, the modem must use com1 as its port. The port
parameter should always be defined as 3f8.

speed

Sets the baud rate for communication between the console and
the server. The baud rate is the only communication parameter
you can alter; the console ports always communicate at 9600
baud, eight data bits, no parity, and one stop bit.

The Console Configuration File

Table 3

Console Configuration Keywords (Continued)

Keyword

Explanation

timeout

Allows you to set a time-out value for any modem connection.
The system automatically logs out a modem connection if
there is no activity for a specified amount of time. For
instance, a value of 6:00 would automatically log out a
modem connection after six minutes of inactivity. This
keyword, which should only be used in the modem section,
provides added protection should a user forget to logout from
a modem connection to the console.
With a value of 0:00—the default value—the feature is
disabled, which means the system will not log out a modem
connection regardless of inactivity length. The maximum
value is 546 minutes and 7 seconds (546:07).

Chapter 2 The iNEWS Console

Chapter 3
Getting Started
System Administrators are responsible for knowing how to start up and
shut down the iNEWS system. This requires logging in at the console
multiplexor, which is done differently than other iNEWS users and
provides access to features that others do not. Information on using the
console, including logging in, is covered in Chapter 2. This chapter
provides specifics on starting up and shutting down the newsroom
computer system.
This chapter contains the following main sections:
•

Starting the System

•

Shutting Down the System

•

Starting a System in Single-Server Mode

Chapter 3 Getting Started

Starting the System
The following procedure shows you how to reboot your servers and
synchronize them. This is primarily for dual or triple-server systems. For
steps on starting a system in single-server mode, see “Starting a System in
Single-Server Mode” on page 56.

Because the following procedure applies to an entire system that has been
shut down, you must perform all the steps on all servers, except where
otherwise indicated.
To start your iNEWS system, do the following:

1. Power up or reboot servers in one of the following ways, depending on
how you shut down your system:
a. If you turned off the servers when you shut down your system,
boot them to the login prompt by turning them on.
b. If you halted the servers when you shut down your system, boot
each server from the console. Servers that have their operating
systems halted will display the following line ten times—one per
second:
Press any key to continue.
If no key is pressed, the bootup will continue normally after ten
seconds. If a key is pressed, the system displays a message similar
to the following:
GRUB version 0.93 (640K lower/523256K upper memory)
+----------------------------------------------+
| Red Hat Linux (2.4.20-6smp)
|
| Red Hat Linux-up (2.4.20-6)
|
| Red Hat Linux (2.4.20-6smp) SERIAL CONSOLE
|
+----------------------------------------------+
Use the ^ and v keys to select which entry is highlighted.
Press Enter to boot the selected OS, ‘e’ to edit the
commands before booting, ‘a’ to modify the kernel
arguments before booting, or ‘c’ for a command line.

Starting the System

The default is the SERIAL CONSOLE option, for booting to the
iNEWS console. The other options should not be used for any
reason, unless instructed to do so by Avid Customer Support
personnel. Press Enter to continue.

If the system was not shut down as described in “Shutting Down the
System” on page 53, check the console history for messages indicating
that all servers shut down at the same time. Do not connect servers
unless you are sure their databases are mirrored. If you cannot find
messages indicating simultaneous shutdown, or are otherwise unsure
whether the disks are mirrored, call Avid Customer Support for
assistance before proceeding. If the servers are not mirrored, it will be
necessary to bring the system up as a single-server system and go
through the re-mirroring process. See “Starting a System in SingleServer Mode” on page 56 for more information.
If the system was taken through a normal shut down according to
instructions, the databases would still be mirrored and you can
continue the normal startup procedure.
2. Select all servers. See “Selecting Servers” on page 5 for more
information.
3. Log in as a system operator by typing: so
4. When prompted, type the password.
5. Type: connect #
The # character acts as a place holder for each server name, allowing
you to send a single command to multiple servers simultaneously. So,
typing connect # will send connect a to server A, connect b
to server B, and so forth.
When connected, each server displays status messages and the system
prompt returns.
6. Messages similar to the following appear:
connect successful for NRCS-A, starting servers...
A is OFFLINE. ID is NRCS.
System is A. Master is A.
Disk status is OK. The database is OPEN.

Chapter 3 Getting Started

Connecting servers provides each server with a unique name and
causes each one to read and interpret the system profile. The servers
can work together as a system after reading the system profile
information.
7. (Optional) Check for edit and order locks if you are restarting the
system after a power failure.
During a power failure, the system may not have had time to remove
edit and order locks from the database before shutting down. When
you restart the system, remove these locks.

Checking for edit and order locks may take time depending on the size of
the database. In an emergency, bypass this step to get the system running.
Go back later and remove locks to provide system access. The system can
detect invalid locks and will ignore them.
To remove edit and order locks:
a. Select one server.
b. Type: dbclean -x .
The -x option tells dbclean to skip queues or directories marked
with a skip flag, reducing the time it takes to run.
The period (.) after the -x causes dbclean to start at the root
directory of the database, so that it does not miss any part of the
database not marked with a skip flag.
8. Select all servers. See “Selecting Servers” on page 5 for more
information.
9. Type: startup
Information similar to the following appears:
Checking free space...
Sep 10 15:42:51 NRCS msg: System is being configured
database size 10002352,free 9955000=100%,freelist 1991
Starting NRCS programs...
booting device 100 on port 1
booting server 130

Shutting Down the System

The Startup command does the following:
•

Causes the master computer (usually server A) to read the
configuration file

•

Brings each server online so users can log in

•

Checks database free space (dbfree)

•

Starts all devices and utility programs—called servers

The console displays device-ready messages (Hot-to-go) as each
device starts up, indicating that the device is online and available.

Resources used for iNEWS Workstation sessions do not print any messages
until a workstation establishes a connection.

Shutting Down the System
If you need to turn off your servers or reboot the system, first shut down
the system. Shutting down the system:

•

Saves any open stories

•

Removes any remaining edit and order locks

•

Ensures that each server’s copy of the database is the same

Because the system requires that you shut down all servers at the same
time, most steps in this procedure are performed on all servers
simultaneously. Except where instructed to do otherwise, ensure that you
have selected all servers before performing each step. See “Selecting
Servers” on page 33 for more information.

Chapter 3 Getting Started

To shut down your iNEWS system:

1. Log out all users, according to the procedures provided in “Logging
Out All Users” on page 94.

You must ensure that all users are logged out if shutting down the
system. If a user is in a connect session when the system is shut down,
the user’s workstation stops, the session is disconnected, and any
unsaved work is lost. Ensure any connect session users have logged out
before you continue the shutdown procedure.
2. Ensure all servers are selected, then type: status
This will display the systems current configuration status; verify that
the servers are still connected to each other and running in the normal
AB configuration for dual-server systems or ABC configuration for
triple-server systems. If they are, you may continue with normal
shutdown procedures.

If the servers do not all display the same configuration settings—such
as “System is AB”—then the databases on the servers are most likely
not mirrored and must not be brought back up using normal startup
procedures. Contact Avid Customer Support before proceeding.
3. Type: shutdown
A message similar to the following appears:
WARNING! This will stop all devices on this
computer, and close the database.
To prevent loss of work in progress, 'logout all'
first.
Do you really want to do this (y/n)?

4. To continue, type: y
Press Enter. The screen appears similar to the following:
Do you really want to do this (y/n)? y
/exc/shutdown: Stopping all devices
/exc/shutdown: Closing database

Shutting Down the System

The shutdown process stops all workstations, wires, and other devices,
and no further changes can be made to the database.
5. Enter superuser mode by typing: su
6. When prompted, enter the password.
The screen appears similar to the following
NRCS-A$ su
password:
SU: so/dev/console
NRCS-A#

When the superuser prompt appears, shut down the system by using a
form of the init command, as shown:
NRCS-A# halt
Broadcast message from root (ttySO) (Fri ...)
The system is going down for system halt NOW!
INIT: Stopping atd: [ OK ]
Stopping keytable: [ OK ]
...
Turning off swap:
Turning off quotas:
Unmounting file systems:
Halting system...
flushing ide devices: hda
System halted.

7. Turn off each server.
To start up the system again, follow the procedure in “Starting the System”
on page 50.

Chapter 3 Getting Started

Starting a System in Single-Server Mode
If the servers were not operating in their normal system configuration, such
as AB in dual-server systems, or if they were not shutdown using normal
procedures according to instructions in this manual, the databases on the
servers may not be mirrored.

If the databases are not mirrored, you must not bring the system up
using normal start up procedures as instructed in “Starting the
System” on page 50 or you will risk database corruption.
If non-mirrored servers, the system administrator must bring the system up
in single-server mode and then go through the database re-mirroring
process. This section provides the steps for starting a system in singleserver mode.

Contact Avid Customer Support for assistance with triple-server systems.
It may be possible to start these systems in a dual-server mode, depending
on the circumstances of the shutdown.
To start the iNEWS system in single-server mode:

1. Power up or reboot the server that you want the system to run on.
2. Select that server. See “Selecting Servers” on page 5 for more
information.
3. Log in as a system operator by typing: so
4. When prompted, type the password.
5. Do one of the following:
t

To connect server A as a single system, enter the following
command:
connect a single=a

To connect server B as a single system, enter the following
command:
connect b single=b

Starting a System in Single-Server Mode

Notice in the sample
message that the
“System is A” not AB
or ABC.

Messages similar to the following appear:

Sep 10 16:25:52 inews-a last message repeated 15 times
...
Sep 10 16:26:44 inews-a work:[2034]workserver Hot-to-go
connect successful for NRCS-A, starting servers...
A is OFFLINE. ID is NRCS
System is A. Master is A.
Disk status is OK. The database is OPEN.
NRCS-A$

6. (Optional) Check for edit and order locks if you are restarting the
system after a power failure.
During a power failure, the system may not have had time to remove
edit and order locks from the database before shutting down. When
you restart the system, remove these locks.

Chapter 3 Getting Started

Information similar to the following appears:
Checking free space...
Sep 10 15:42:51 NRCS msg: System is being configured
database size 10002352,free 9955000=100%,freelist 1991
Starting NRCS programs...
booting device 100 on port 1
booting server 130

The entire newsroom computer system will now be run off the single
server. The commands entered on a single-server system for shutting down
are the same as those used to shut down a dual-server or triple-server
system. To return to a dual or triple-server system, it will be necessary to
complete the database re-mirroring process.

Chapter 4
Users
People in your newsroom must have user accounts to use the iNEWS
newsroom computer system. Each user account has various user traits
associated with it that capture information about the user’s interaction with
the system—information such as passwords, keyboard preferences, and
permissions for story editing.
This chapter tells how the system administrator can access and change user
account information from any iNEWS Workstation. However, user traits
can also be viewed and modified at the console. The procedures for using
the console is covered in Appendix G.
This chapter contains the following main sections:
•

Viewing User Accounts

•

Modifying User Traits
•

Changing a User’s Password

•

User Preferences

•

Simplified Users

•

Creating New Users

•

Removing User Accounts

•

The User Manager Account

•

The Database Manager Account

•

Logging Out All Users

Chapter 4 Users

Viewing User Accounts
You must be logged on as a superuser or user manager (umanager) to
change user traits. For an explanation of the umanager account and
privileges, see “The User Manager Account” on page 92.
To view traits associated with a particular user account:

1. Select Tools > Options > Users.
The Manage User Accounts dialog box appears.

2. Enter the user name in the User ID field.

An asterisk (*) in the User ID field will result in all user accounts listed
when you click Search or press Enter. To search for all users with names
that start with a certain letter, type that letter followed by an asterisk.
3. Do one of the following:

Click Search.

Press Enter.

Viewing User Accounts

The results of the search appear in the User List field located in the
center of the dialog box. The data provided in the field includes: User
ID and Name, last time the user logged in, whether the user account
has superuser privileges, and so forth. The scroll bar at the bottom of
the field may be used to view the rest of the User Account data.

The Print User List button will send the User Account data for the results
appearing in the User List field to the printer. There is no option to
selectively limit what data is printed.
4. Do one of the following:

Double-click the user name in the User List field.

Click the name once to select it, and then click the Modify/Display
button.

The Modify button will appear with the word Display on it if you do not
have authority to modify user accounts. This applies to user managers
(umanager) who cannot alter superuser accounts. Also, the traits shown in
the dialog box will appear gray to indicate that the information is for
viewing only.
The Modify User Account dialog box appears.

Chapter 4 Users

The dialog box shows user traits associated with the account you chose,
such as the user’s name, read rate, and mail queue name. All user traits
shown in the various sections of the Modify User Account dialog box are
explained in detail in “User Traits” on page 63.

Modifying User Traits
You must be logged on as a superuser or user manager (umanager) to
change user traits. The superuser account is an iNEWS user account with
superuser type access privileges. It is not the same as the superuser mode
used at the console. See “User Traits” on page 63 for more information.
For an explanation of the umanager account and privileges, see “The User
Manager Account” on page 92
To modify a user’s traits from an iNEWS Workstation, do the
following:

1. Access the Modify User Account dialog box as explained in “Viewing
User Accounts” on page 60. An example of the dialog box is shown in
Figure 7 on page 63.
2. Select or deselect check boxes, as required. Fill in the fields in the
Queues section of the dialog box. See “User Traits” on page 63 for
more information.

You can click the Get from Template button to copy traits from another predefined user account. The template must be selected prior to the start of
account modification or the button will be inaccessible (grayed out). See
“Copying User Traits to Another User Account” on page 84 for more
information.
3. Create or change the password, as explained in “Changing a User’s
Password” on page 68.
4. Click User Preferences and modify settings, as explained in “User
Preferences” on page 69.

The Cancel button
closes the dialog box
without saving
changes.

5. Click OK to save modifications.

Modifying User Traits

User Traits
The Modify User Account dialog box—shown in Figure 7—divides each
user’s traits into sections, such as Type, Edit Mode, Queues, and so forth.
These sections are explained in the following summary of all user traits.

Figure 7

Modify User Account Dialog Box

User ID and User Name
The User Name field contains the user’s real name. It should not be
confused with the User ID, which the system uses to identify account
activity. For instance, a user may have an account with a User ID
danielmi; his real User Name is Daniel Mitchell, but he will type
danielmi, his User ID, to log on to iNEWS.
Type
The Type section contains the check boxes that determine what type of
user account is assigned to the user, and consequently, what privileges. If
the check box is selected, the type is applied to that user account.

Chapter 4 Users

•

Superuser

– A superuser account allows the user complete
access to administration features, such as user
accounts, the database, the System directory, and
connect sessions to the console that controls the
servers.

•

Black Listed

– A black listed account cannot be used to log in to
an iNEWS Workstation. This type is used for
special accounts, such as umanager and
dbmanager. It is not intended for standard user
accounts. Another practical use for this trait is to
quickly disable an account of someone leaving or
someone who works intermittently.

•

Simplified

– A simplified account sets certain access limits,
such as the maximum number of iNEWS
Workspaces allowed. See “Simplified Users” on
page 78 for more information.

Edit Mode
The Edit Mode section’s radio buttons set up the condition of the PC
keyboard’s Insert key at log in.

•

Insert

– The Insert editing mode, when selected, means if a
user types text between two characters, the text is
inserted at the cursor position without overwriting
the character to the right of the cursor.

•

Overwrite

– The Overwrite editing mode, when selected,
means each character a user types replaces the
next character to the right of the cursor as the
cursor moves through the text.

Modifying User Traits

Queues
The iNEWS system provides a People directory in the database file
structure that allows system administrators to set up a personal directory
and two queues for each user as data storage. The Queues fields in the
Modify User Account dialog box indicate the navigation paths (or
locations) of the user’s personal directory and queues.

The actual directory and queues are not created here. See “Creating a New
User Area in the News Database” on page 82 for more information.
•

Home

– The Home field contains the path to the directory
(folder) where the Destination and Mail queues
are stored in the database file structure.

•

Destination

– The Destination field contains the path to the
queue provided for the user as a storage location,
such as Notes.

•

Mail

– The Mail field contains the path to the user’s Mail
queue, which is where all e-mail to that user is
kept in the database.

Read Rate
The Read Rate is the user’s spoken reading rate in words per minute. The
average English reading rate is 180 words per minute. The iNEWS system
uses the read rate of the designated user (presenter) to determine the audio
(air) time of a story.

Chapter 4 Users

Session/Configuration/Queue Features
There are three sections of the Modify User Account dialog box pertaining
to features.

The Session Features section defines access to other parts of the system.
•

Media Browse

– The Media Browse check box determines access to
the Media Browse application.

•

Broadcast Control– The Broadcast Control check box is a nonfunctioning option, reserved for future
development.

•

Connect Services– The Connect Services check box determines
access to Connect to Service.

The Configuration Features section pertains to the look of the iNEWS
Workspace.
•

Toolbars

– The Toolbars check box determines whether the
user can create custom toolbars.

•

Color Highlights – The Color Highlights check box determines
whether the user can customize the highlighting
status colors in the queue.

•

Highlight Read ...– The Highlight Read Stories check box specifies
that unread stories in the queue are highlighted on
the user’s screen. The highlight is removed when
the cursor is positioned on the story.

The Queue Features section pertains to access privileges in the Queue
panel of the iNEWS Workspace.
•

Reorder Stories – The Reorder Stories check box determines
authority to alter the order of the stories in a
queue.

Modifying User Traits

•

Create/Kill ...

– The Create/Kill Folders/Queues check box
determines authority to create or delete queues and
folders (directories) in the database file structure,
as seen in the Directory panel of the iNEWS
Workspace.

•

Kill All Stories – The Kill All Stories check box determines
authority to delete all stories from a queue at one
time. The data is actually moved from the selected
queue to the DEAD queue where it remains (and
can be accessed) until purged.

•

Password

– The Password button opens a dialog box that you
can use to set up or change the password
protecting access to the user account.

•

Force Change

– The Force Change check box determines whether
the user is forced to change the assigned password
the next time he logs on.

Password
See “Changing a User’s
Password” on page 68
for more information.

User Preferences...
The User Preferences button is used to view and/or modify a user’s
preferences, such as keyboard, printer, and confirmation settings. See
“User Preferences” on page 69 for more information.
Get from Template...
The Get from Template button is only used when copying the traits of one
user’s account to another. See “Adding a New User Account” on page 84
for more information.

Chapter 4 Users

Changing a User’s Password
To change a user’s password:

1. Click the Password button in the Modify User Account dialog box,
shown in Figure 7 on page 63.
The Change User’s Password dialog box appears:

2. Type the password in the New password field.
3. Confirm the new password by retyping it in the Confirm new password
field.

The password must be a minimum of five alphanumeric characters (and a
maximum of 12 characters) with no spaces. Use the system profile to set or
change a required length for all passwords for your site.
4. Do one of the following:

Click OK to store the password for saving after all modifications
to the user’s account are done. This will close the dialog box. The
process of saving the password is only completed after the OK
button on the Modify User Account dialog box is also clicked.

Click Cancel to close the dialog box without saving changes.

Modifying User Traits

User Preferences
To change user preferences:

1. Click the User Preferences button in the Modify User Account dialog
box, shown in Figure 7 on page 63.
The Preferences dialog box will appear, containing several tabs.

System administrators can use the Preferences dialog box to set up default
preferences for users, such as a default printer. However, the Preferences
dialog box is—by default—accessible to users, so they can alter these
settings at any time. To learn how the system administrator can limit
access to this dialog box and its features, see “Simplified Users” on
page 78.
2. Modify the preference settings on each tab as needed. The settings are
described in detail in the next sections of this chapter.
3. Do one of the following:
t

Click OK to store the preferences for saving after all modifications
to the user’s account are done. This will close the dialog box. The
process of saving the preferences is only completed after the OK
button on the Modify User Account dialog box is also clicked.

Click Cancel to close the dialog box without saving preference
changes.
69

Chapter 4 Users

Session Tab
The Session tab has two sections, which system administrators can use to
set up default user preferences.

•

Keyboard

– The keyboard drop-down list contains a list of
keyboards (or sets of macros) that can be assigned
to the user account as a default for when he logs
in. The Reload button allows the keyboard
assignment to take effect without having the user
log off and back on.

•

Printing

– The Printing drop-down lists contain two lists: one
of Printers and another of pre-defined Styles that
can be assigned to the user account as defaults for
when he prints data from an iNEWS Workstation.

Modifying User Traits

Confirmations Tab
The Confirmations tab is divided into sections and contains check boxes
that determine whether iNEWS NRCS prompts the user to confirm a
request before completing the command.

•

Saving Story

– When Saving Story is checked, iNEWS
Workstation will display a confirmation message
to save changes before closing an edited story. If
you do not select the Saving Story check box, the
system automatically saves changes before closing
stories.

•

Large Print Jobs– When Large Print Jobs is checked, iNEWS
Workstation will display a confirmation message
before sending potentially large print jobs to the
printer, such as the text of all stories in a queue.

•

Exit

– When Exit is checked, iNEWS Workstation will
display a confirmation message when the user
attempts to close the iNEWS NRCS program at
the workstation.

Chapter 4 Users

Drag/Drop section

•

Story Operations– When Story Operations is checked, iNEWS
Workstation will display a confirmation message
before moving a story when you use the mouse to
drag it to its new position.

•

Queue Operations– When Queue Operations is checked, iNEWS
Workstation will display a confirmation message
before moving all stories in a queue when you use
the mouse to drag them to their new position.

•

Queue Reorder – When Queue Reorder is checked, iNEWS
Workstation will display a confirmation message
before moving a story to a new location in the
same queue.

Delete/Kill section

A production
cue marker
(shown here)
appears in the Story
Text panel. These
markers are also known
as grommets.

•

Story

– When Story is checked, iNEWS Workstation will
display a confirmation message before deleting a
story or stories.

•

Mail or Message – When Mail or Message is checked, iNEWS
Workstation will display a confirmation message
before deleting e-mail or instant messages.

•

Production Cue – When Production Cue is checked, iNEWS
Workstation will display a confirmation message
before deleting a production cue and its marker
from a story.

Modifying User Traits

Backup Tab
The Backup tab defines the settings for the iNEWS Workstation to
automatically back up work in a current session to a specified location at
specific time intervals.

•

Interval

– Interval specifies the number of minutes between
story backups. The default is 10 minutes. Set the
interval to 0 (zero) minutes to turn off the
automatic backup feature.

•

Directory

– Directory specifies the path name—the location in
which iNEWS Workstation should store backup
copies of stories. The location should be a
directory (folder) on the harddrive of the local
PC/workstation. You can type the path in
manually, or click the Browse button to select the
directory from the Browse dialog box.

Refresh Tab
The Refresh tab sets the seconds for refreshing the screen at the
workstation.

Chapter 4 Users

This preference is unique because it only affects the workstation on which
it is set.
Set the number to zero (0) for instant updating—that is, if you do not want
to delay refreshes.

Modifying User Traits

Layout Tab
The Layout tab is divided into sections and contains buttons and check
boxes that determine the layout of panels and workspaces in the iNEWS
Workstation main window.

•

Start in Session – The Start in Session field specifies the default
session that will appear on screen when the user
logs in to iNEWS Workstation.

•

Get Current

– The Get Current button will reset the preferences
on the Layout tab to what was set when the dialog
box opened.

Arrangement section
– iNEWS Workstation, depending on which

•

Arrangement button is selected, will display
the panels of the iNEWS Workspace accordingly.
•

Zoom

– When Zoom is checked, iNEWS Workstation will
display the iNEWS Workspace in zoom
mode—that is, zoomed into one of the three
panels: Directory, Queue or Story.

Chapter 4 Users

•

Hide Form

– When Hide Form is checked, iNEWS Workstation
will display the Story panel with its Story Form
panel hidden. The user can choose to show the
Story Form panel by selecting the option to show
the form from the Story drop-down menu.

Gridlines section

•

Horizontal

– When Horizontal is checked, iNEWS Workstation
will display horizontal gridlines between rows in
the Queue panel.

•

Vertical

– When Vertical is checked, iNEWS Workstation
will display vertical gridlines between columns in
the Queue panel.

Preview Lines

•

Use Default

– When Use Default is checked, iNEWS
Workstation will display the default number of
preview lines for each story in the Queue panel as
defined by the queue’s properties. When Use
Default is not checked, every queue will display
only one line of information per story in the Queue
panel.

Users can manually override the Preview Lines setting by selecting the
Story Preview option in the View drop-down menu. In the Story Preview
dialog box, the user can override the default setting by typing in a number
in the Lines to preview field. This overrides the setting for the queue while
displayed. Once the user exits the queue, the queue’s default setting is
reinstated. If the user wants to return to the default setting manually (as
defined in the queue’s properties), the user can click the Default button in
the Story Preview dialog box.

Modifying User Traits

The following figures show the difference between Queue panel displays
with and without Preview lines. The first is the display using the default of
seven preview lines, as defined in the queue’s properties.

The second figure shows the Queue panel display without preview lines.
This is the view when “Use Default” is unchecked, unless otherwise
specified.

Chapter 4 Users

Search Results Tab
The Search Results tab allows you to set the default form used in the
Queue panel of the Search Results workspace.

•

Use form

– iNEWS Workstation will use the form selected
from the Use form drop-down list when displaying
the results from searches in iNEWS NRCS. The
forms you can choose from are those created and
stored in SYSTEM.FORMS. See “Creating Forms”
on page 204 for more information.

Simplified Users
A simplified user is one that has certain limitations pertaining to the
iNEWS Workstation. As the system administrator, you can define the
limitations and then assign them to users. Only one set of limitations can
be defined, which is then applied to all user accounts with the simplified
user trait. In other words, either a user account has the simplifed user trait,
with its designated limitation settings, or it does not.
Some of the Simplified User Settings lock the user’s preferences to those
defined by the system administrator using the Preferences dialog box. See
“User Preferences” on page 69 for more information.

Modifying User Traits

To set up or modify the simplified user limitations:

1. Access the Modify User Account dialog box as explained in “Viewing
User Accounts” on page 60. An example of the dialog box is shown in
Figure 7 on page 63.
2. Click the Simplified UI button.
The Simplified User Settings dialog box appears.

The dialog box divides the settings into two sections, which are
explained in the next sections of this chapter.
3. Select or deselect check boxes, as required.
4. Click the OK button to save the settings and close the Simplified User
Settings dialog box.

Use the Reset button to discard changes and reset the check box settings to
what they were when the dialog box opened.

Workspaces Section
The Workspaces section of the dialog box provides settings that pertain to
the arrangement and quantity of workspaces within the iNEWS
Workstation’s main window.
•

Limit Number to:– When Limit Number to is checked, iNEWS
Workstation will prevent the user from opening
more workspaces than the number specified. This
limit does not apply to the workspaces opened
using the Urgent Wire and Mail buttons. However,
79

Chapter 4 Users

this does lock the Urgent Wire workspace so the
user is unable to navigate to other queues or
directories in that workspace.
•

Lock Arrange

– When Lock Arrange is checked, iNEWS
Workstation will prevent the user from altering the
arrangement of panels in the Workspace. This
disables the Arrangement buttons on the standard
Layout toolbar. The setting is locked into the
default arrangement as defined in the user’s User
Account Preferences.

•

Lock Layout

– When Lock Layout is checked, iNEWS
Workstation will prevent the user from altering the
layout of workspaces in the iNEWS Workstation
main window. This disables the Layout buttons on
the standard Layout toolbar. The setting is locked
into the default layout as defined in the user’s User
Account Preferences.

•

Lock Zoom

– When Lock Zoom is checked, iNEWS
Workstation will prevent the user from altering the
zoom of panels in the iNEWS Workspace. The
setting is locked into the default as defined in the
user’s User Account Preferences.

Application Section
The Application section of the dialog box provides settings that pertain to
accessing certain iNEWS features at any workstation.

•

Lock Toolbars

– When Lock Toolbars is checked, iNEWS
Workstation will prevent the user from altering the
display of toolbars.

•

Lock Sessions

– When Lock Sessions is checked, iNEWS
Workstation will prevent the user from creating or
altering sessions. The user will be locked to
sessions created prior to the Lock Sessions being
applied to the user account.

Creating New Users

•

Disable Title Entry – When Disable Title Entry is checked, iNEWS
Workstation will prevent user access to the Title
Entry dialog box, used to enter production cues
in stories, and the Edit Title Entry Template
dialog box, used to create CG templates for the
Title Entry feature.

•

Disable User Prefs...– When Disable User Prefs Dlg is checked,
iNEWS Workstation will prevent user access to
the Preferences dialog box. The user will be
unable to alter user preferences, such as default
printer settings. The user will be locked to
settings already in place at the time Disable
User Prefs Dlg is applied to the user account.
See “User Preferences” on page 69 and
“Simplified Users” on page 78 for more
information.

Creating New Users
To set up new users in iNEWS NRCS, you need to follow these three
procedures, which are explained in detail in this section:
1. Create areas in the iNEWS NRCS database file structure where the
user can store notes and receive mail. See “Creating a New User Area
in the News Database” on page 82 for more information.
2. Add a new user account so that your system recognizes the user. This
includes setting up the user traits associated with the account. See
“Adding a New User Account” on page 84 for more information.
3. Enable the new user to receive mail by adding him or her to the
appropriate group. See “Enabling a New User to Receive Mail” on
page 87 for more information.

Chapter 4 Users

Creating a New User Area in the News Database
Each user needs an area in the database to keep notes and to receive e-mail.
Usually, these areas are separate queues called Notes and Mail. These
queues are kept in a sub-folder—with the user’s account name—in the
People directory.
The common practice is to separate the first level of People sub-folders by
using the first initial of the user’s last name—otherwise, since the system is
limited to 250 user names in the People directory, your site may eventually
reach the limit.
For instance, the Home directory for user DANIELMI would be:
PEOPLE.D.DANIELMI. The Notes and Mail queues would be:
PEOPLE.D.DANIELMI.NOTES and PEOPLE.D.DANIELMI.MAIL,
respectively.
You must be logged on
to iNEWS NRCS with
a user account that has
authority to create new
directories and/or
queues to complete this
procedure.

To create a new directory (folder):

1. Using the database file structure in the Directory panel of the iNEWS
Workspace, select the directory under which you want the new folder
to be created, as shown in the following example.
Select the PEOPLE folder, then the
folder with the alphabetic name corresponding to the first letter of the user’s
name, such as D. The new folder will be
created in the D directory (folder), such
as DANIELMI.

2. Do one of the following:

Select Tools > New Folder.

Right-click on the folder in the Directory panel, and select New
Folder from the pop-up menu.

Creating New Users

A new folder is created under the selected folder. The New-Folder
appears at the end of the list of existing folders.The title, New-Folder,
is highlighted, so you can rename it.

3. Type the name of the new folder.
4. Press Enter to save the new folder name. You can now open the new
folder (directory) by double-clicking on it.
To create a new queue, such as the Notes and Mail queues for user
DANIELMI:

1. Navigate to and select the folder created to hold the queue you want to
create, such as PEOPLE.D.DANIELMI.
2. Do one of the following:
t

Select Tools > New Queue.

Right-click on the folder in the Directory panel, and select New
Queue from the pop-up menu.

Chapter 4 Users

A new queue appears under the folder you selected. The New-Queue
appears at the end of the list of existing queues.The title, New-Queue,
is highlighted, so you can rename it.

3. Type the name of the new queue, such as MAIL or NOTES.
4. Press Enter to save the new queue name. You can now open the new
queue by double-clicking on it.

There are some restrictions pertaining to adding directories and queues in
the database. See “Adding a Directory or Queue” on page 99 for more
information.

Adding a New User Account
When adding a new user account, you have the option of creating the
account from scratch, or copying the traits of another user account already
in the system. Both options are covered in this section.
Copying User Traits to Another User Account
Before you can copy user traits from one user account to another, you must
first select the account you want to copy—that is, select an account to use
as a template for the new account you are going to create.

Creating New Users

To define an account as a template for copying to other accounts:

1. Select Tools > Options > Users.
The Manage User Accounts dialog box appears.

Figure 8

Manage User Accounts Dialog Box

If you do not have superuser privileges, which permits access to the
Manage User Accounts dialog box, the system will prompt you for the
umanager password. If the umanager account does not exist in the system,
then access is only allowed to system administrators—that is, those with
superuser privileges. See “The User Manager Account” on page 92 for
more information. Also, see “User Traits” on page 63 for more
information on the superuser trait and its privileges.
2. Search for the user account you want to copy—that is, use as a
template.
3. Select the User ID when it appears in the search results list.
4. Click Copy. The User ID should appear to the right of the button.
When no template is selected for copying, the words, “No template
set,” appears to the right of the Copy button.

Chapter 4 Users

You are now ready to create a new user account and copy the user traits, or
copy the traits to an account that already exists in the system.
Creating a New User Account
To add a new user account:

1. Select Tools > Options > Users.
The Manage User Accounts dialog box appears as shown in Figure 8
on page 85.
2. Click New User.
The Add New User dialog box appears.

3. In the User ID field, enter the login name of the user account.
4. (Optional) In the User Name field, enter the user’s real name.
5. Do one of the following:
t

Click the appropriate check boxes for the user traits you want to
set. See “User Traits” on page 63 for more information.

Searching for User Information

The Get from Template
button is enabled when
a user account is
selected as a template
via the Copy button on
the Manage User
Accounts dialog box.

Click the Get from Template button to copy traits for another predefine user account. See “Copying User Traits to Another User
Account” on page 84 for more information.

6. Click Add to add the new user account.

Enabling a New User to Receive Mail
This section gives you the basic steps you need to follow to enable a new
user to receive mail. If you need more information, refer to the information
on groups in Chapter 6.
To enable a new user to receive mail:

Add the user to a group in SYSTEM.GROUPS. When the group story
is saved, the mail delivery files are updated automatically.
A group story is one that you created in the system for groups in your
organization such as newscasters, staff, or reporters. By adding the
user to a group, the user inherits the security traits that were set up for
that group.

Searching for User Information
A search capability in iNEWS NRCS enables you to search for
information about a particular user by specifying a user name and
including certain criteria to refine the search. You can specify any
alphanumeric characters in the search. You can use the asterisk (*), which
acts as a wildcard, only as a suffix—not as a prefix or in the middle of a
word. Used alone, the wildcard is equivalent to “all.” Used with additional
information, the wildcard serves as a parameter to the search.
For instance, if you are searching for all user accounts beginning with
Dave, type Dave* (no space).

Chapter 4 Users

To search for information about users:

1. Select Tools > Options > Users.
The Manage User Accounts dialog box appears.

2. Type the name of the user in the User ID field and click Search.
If you search with a wildcard character and the system finds multiple
matches, a results box appears listing all “hits”. You can specify one by
double-clicking on it; this opens the specified user’s information in
another dialog box.
The results of the search appear in the User List field in the center of
the dialog box.
To quickly locate a name in the User List, type the name you want; the
list will be positioned to a point matching what you type. User names
are not case-sensitive, so you can use lowercase. To prevent you from
having to type the whole name, the system automatically tries to match
the letters you supply with a name in the list. Continue typing until the
system locates the name you want.
3. Click Advanced to refine your search for a user.

Searching for User Information

The Advanced Search Settings dialog box appears with the All Users
setting selected by default.

4. Select from the settings to specify additional search criteria. The
criteria options are explained in detail below.
Advance Search Criteria
Setting

Description/Choice

All Users

Search through all user accounts on the server.

Superusers

Confine the search to user accounts with the
superuser attribute.

Non-Superusers

Confine the search to user accounts without the
superuser attribute.

Blacklisted Users

Confine the search to user accounts with the
blacklisted attribute.

Non-Blacklisted Users

Confine the search to user accounts without the
blacklisted attribute.

Chapter 4 Users

Setting

Description/Choice

Members of Group

Confine the search to user accounts belonging to the
security group you select from the drop-down list.

Users Without Password

Confine the search to user accounts that do not have
passwords.

Simplified Users

Confine the search to user accounts that have the
simplified user trait.

Non-Simplified Users

Confine the search to user accounts that do not have
the simplified user trait.

Date Range

Confine the search to dates you specify in the From
and To fields and the kind of date range:
When the user last logged in
When the user account was created
When the password changed
Specify the date by either clicking the arrow buttons
or typing the dates in ddmmmyyyy format. Indicate
the day with two digits, the month with three letters,
and the year with four digits.

5. Click OK to confirm your advanced search setting or click Cancel to
cancel it.
6. Click Search to initiate the search.
A progress bar appears if a lengthy search is underway.
The results of the search appear in the User List field in the center of the
Manage User Accounts dialog box.
Above the field, iNEWS NRCS will display a brief statement indicating
what matched the search criteria, such as:
All users matching ‘*‘:

Removing User Accounts

Use the horizontal scroll bar at the bottom of the User List field to view the
information headings, such as User Name, Last Login, Read Rate, and so
forth.

Removing User Accounts
You must have access to the Manage User Accounts dialog box to remove
user accounts. In other words, you must be logged on as a system
administrator—that is, with an account that has superuser privileges—or
successfully enter the user manager (umanager) password to remove user
accounts.

Before removing user accounts from the system, remove the users’ names
from the stories in SYSTEM.GROUPS. This reduces the potential for mail
bounce back errors.
To remove user accounts:

1. Select Tools > Options > Users.
The Manage User Accounts dialog box appears. See Figure 8 on
page 85.

If you are logged on as a system administrator, the Manage User Accounts
dialog box will appear automatically, following step 1. Otherwise, iNEWS
NRCS will prompt you for the umanager password (if that account exists in
the system) before allowing access to the dialog box.
2. Enter the user name in the User ID field.
3. Click Search or press Enter. The results of the search appear in the
User List field.
4. Select the name of the user you want to remove by clicking the name
in the User List field.
5. Click Remove.
6. Click OK to remove the user or Cancel to stop the removal.

Chapter 4 Users

After removing the user, you will also need to remove the user’s Home
directory and the Notes and Mail queues by deleting them from the
system’s database file structure.

The User Manager Account
A user manager has some special system privileges, but not as many as a
system administrator/superuser. For instance, user managers can add,
remove, or change any user account, except those with the superuser
attribute.
There can be only one user manager account in iNEWS NRCS; however,
several users may acquire user manager privileges by successfully entering
the user manager password when prompted. Unlike a superuser account,
the user manager account is not used to log in to the system. Users with
user manager privileges log in to their own accounts, as usual. When they
need to do user manager tasks, they must access the Manage User
Accounts dialog box, by typing in the user manager password.
To create a user manager account:

1. Create a user account as explained in “Adding a New User Account”
on page 84.
2. Give the account a User ID: umanager.
3. Assign a password to this account.
4. Make the umanager account blacklisted so that no one can use it to log
in.
5. Assign the account superuser status to prevent a user manager (or
anyone who is not a superuser) from changing its password.
6. Tell user managers the password for the umanager account.

For further security, a write-access group should be assigned to
SYSTEM.GROUPS and only those with user manager privileges should
be included in the group. If no write-access group is assigned to
SYSTEM.GROUPS, then all users who know the umanager password
can access the Manage User Accounts dialog box by selecting Tools >
Options > Users. After a write-access group is set up, any user

The Database Manager Account

managers with nonsuperuser accounts must be included in the writeaccess group for SYSTEM.GROUPS or they will not be allowed access
to the Manage User Accounts dialog box. See “Groups Tab” on
page 129, “Users as Members of a Group” on page 166, and
“Restricting Both Reading and Writing” on page 177 for more
information.

The Database Manager Account
A database manager has some special system privileges, but not as many as
a system administrator/superuser. For instance, database managers can
add, remove, or change any database trait to a directory or queue in the
iNEWS NRCS database from a workstation. Database managers also have
access to the CG Template Editor, used to create and modify template for
the Title Entry feature.
There can be only one database manager account in iNEWS NRCS;
however, several users may acquire database manager privileges by
successfully entering the database manager password when prompted.
Unlike a superuser account, the database manager account is not used to
log in to the system. Users with database manager privileges log in to their
own accounts, as usual. When they need to do database manager tasks,
they must access the Directory/Queue Properties dialog box. To modify
anything in the dialog box, they must provide the database manager
password.
To create a database manager account:

1. Create a user account as explained in “Adding a New User Account”
on page 84.
2. Give the account a User ID: dbmanager.
3. Assign a password to this account.
4. Make the dbmanager account blacklisted so that no one can use it to
log in.
5. Assign the account superuser status to prevent a user manager (or
anyone who is not a superuser) from changing the dbmanager
password.

Chapter 4 Users

6. Tell database managers the password for the database manager
account.

Logging Out All Users
Sometimes maintenance of the iNEWS system requires you to first log out
all users before completing a certain task, such as shutting down the
system. This section explains the best way to log out all users from the
console.
To log out all users:

1. Select all servers. See “Selecting Servers” on page 33 for more
information.
The offline command
prevents users from
logging in.

2. Take the system offline by typing: offline
Use offline silent if you want to suppress output of messages
from new user login attempts.
3. Use the broadcast command to send a message warning all users that
are logged in that they must log out and why. If the system will be shut
down, include the time it will be shut down. Here are a few examples:
NRCS-A$ broadcast WARNING\! System shut down at 12PM
NRCS-A$ broadcast LOG OUT\! System shut down in 5 min.
NRCS-A$ broadcast -d LOG OUT\! Shut down in 10 seconds.

The backslash (\) before the exclamation point (!) is required because the
exclamation point is a reserved character in Linux.
You may add -d after broadcast and before the message if you want
your message to appear at the workstation as a popup message.
4. At the specified shutdown time, check the system for any users still
logged in by selecting one server and typing: list s

Logging Out All Users

A message similar to the following appears:
G505 miller

G500 allen

G507 stevens
R801 stevens

A
A

The list s command lists:
•

The device controlling the session

•

The user account used for the session

•

The server servicing the session

5. Check the system for any connect session users, by typing: list s
If there are any connect session users, a message similar to the
following will appear:
G507 stevens
R801 stevens

A
A

Connect session will show up as an ‘R’ device. The system
administrator must notify them of the shutdown by some other means,
such as by telephone.

If a user is editing a story, the system saves the file and then logs out the
user. The command will not log out users who are in connect sessions.

Chapter 4 Users

Chapter 5
Stories Queues, and
Directories
All relevant iNEWS information—except the system software and the
Linux files—is stored in the iNEWS NRCS database. This database
contains scripts, rundowns, e-mail, messages, users, groups and their
memberships, and any other kind of information that is entered into the
system. Some database maintenance, such as altering the database file
structure and traits, can be done from the console or from any iNEWS
Workstation. This chapter focuses on maintenance tasks at the workstation
when possible. However, when a task can be done at both the workstation
and console, the console information is provided as an appendix in this
manual. See procedures for using the console in Appendix G.
This chapter contains the following main sections:
•

Overview

•

Adding a Directory or Queue

•

Viewing Database Traits

•

Changing Database Traits

•

Database Traits Summary

•

Locking and Unlocking

Chapter 5 Stories Queues, and Directories

Overview
The iNEWS NRCS database is where all the data, such as scripts,
rundowns, user accounts, and so forth, are stored. The database is
structured in a way to promote ease of maintenance. For instance, it
contains a file structure made up of directories, that contain other folders or
queues, which in turn contain stories. It works similar to a filing cabinet.
Stories with text and
production cues are
in queues.
Queues are stored in
directories.
Directories contain queues
or other subdirectories—
also known as sub-folders
—and make up the root of
the database file structure.

In iNEWS NRCS, the database file structure can be seen (depending on
your access privileges) in the Directory panel of the iNEWS Workspace.

Directories, also known as folders, are
indicated by manila folders, such as this
People directory.

Queues are indicated by three
overlapping pieces of paper, such as
this Mail queue.

Adding a Directory or Queue

The scripts, notes, e-mail, news stories, and other kinds of information are
all called stories; each story is associated with a particular queue, and each
queue with a single directory. A directory can also be contained within
another directory in which case it would be called a subdirectory or subfolder of that directory.
Directories and queues have database traits that determine how the system
manages the stories they contain, and also what actions users can perform
with those stories.
For instance, by modifying the database traits of a particular queue, you
can:
•

Set its stories to read-only

•

Restrict who can read them

•

Enable the system to routinely purge stories in the queue that are older
than a certain number of days

Database traits are used in conjunction with the user traits discussed in
Chapter 4. For instance, stories in a queue with a security restriction set as
a database trait can be read only by users whose user traits include the
appropriate security level.

Adding a Directory or Queue
Before you can modify the database traits of queues or directories, the
queues and directories must exist in the database. If they do not, you can
create them from the iNEWS Workstation.
A Few Restrictions:
There are certain restrictions you should be aware of when creating new
directories and queues.
•

The total path name of a directory, including the separator characters
(.), cannot exceed 60 characters.

•

The total path name of a queue, including the separator characters (.),
cannot exceed 62 characters.
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Chapter 5 Stories Queues, and Directories

•

Each branch of a path name—that is the name between
periods—cannot exceed 20 characters.

•

The number of directory levels available is limited to 31.

•

You cannot use a space or period in directory or queue names.

•

The system has a limit of 250 queues per directory.

The 250 limit also applies to first-level sub-folders in a directory. If you
need more than 250 in a directory, such as personal employee folders,
create alphabetic sub-folders on the first level, then place the personal
folders in the matching sub-folder. For instance, in a given directory, you
could have 26 sub-folders, each with one of the 26 letters of the English
alphabet as a name. This enables you to have 250 personal folders in each
of the 26 alphabetic sub-folders; that’s enough personal folders for up to
6,500 employees. See “Creating a New User Area in the News Database”
on page 82 for more information.
While punctuation marks can be used in path names, Avid recommends
their use be limited to dashes and underscores only to avoid confusion for
FTP clients, like teleprompters, accessing the database.
Ordinarily, directories and queues are listed in alphabetical order within
their parent directory. However, you can add items to a directory in a
different order. For instance, if you had directories for each month in the
Futures directory, you would want them to appear in order by month
(January, February, and so on). To do this, turn on the sequential database
trait for the parent directory before you create the new items. See
“Database Traits Summary” on page 120 for more information.

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Adding a Directory or Queue

Creating a New Directory
To create a new directory (folder):

1. Log in as a system administrator unless you have write-access to the
parent queue or directory. This ensures that you have full access to the
database.
2. Using the database file structure in the Directory panel of the iNEWS
Workspace, select the directory under which you want the new folder
to be created, as shown in the following example.
For instance, you could select the Shows folder if
you want to add a new directory for a 10 PM show.
After the new sub-folder (10P) is created, you can
create queues or additional sub-folders in it.

If you are creating a new first-level directory, be sure to select the server
rather than a directory (folder).
3. Do one of the following:
t

Select Tools > New Folder.

Right-click on the directory—or server, if you are creating a new
first-level folder—in the Directory panel, and choose New Folder
from the pop-up menu.

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Chapter 5 Stories Queues, and Directories

A new folder is created under the selected folder. The New-Folder
appears at the end of the list of existing folders.The title, New-Folder,
is highlighted, so you can rename it.

4. Type the name of the new folder, such as 10P.
5. Press Enter to save the new folder name. The newly created folder will
inherit the database traits of its parent directory initially. You can open
the new folder by double-clicking on it.

102

Once created, directories cannot be renamed from the iNEWS Workstation.
If you incorrectly name a newly created directory, delete it and recreate it
with the appropriate name.

Adding a Directory or Queue

Creating a New Queue
To create a new queue, such as the Rundown and Master queues for
the 10PM show:

1. Navigate to and select the directory (folder) created to hold the queue
you want to create.
Select the Shows folder, then the 10P folder, if you
want to add a new queue for a 10PM show. The new
queue will be created in the 10P folder.

2. Do one of the following:
t

Select Tools > New Queue.

Right-click on the folder in the Directory panel, and choose New
Queue from the pop-up menu.

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Chapter 5 Stories Queues, and Directories

A new queue appears under the folder you selected. The New-Queue
appears at the end of the list of existing queues.The title, New-Queue,
is highlighted, so you can rename it.

3. Type the name of the new queue, such as RUNDOWN or MASTER.
4. Press Enter to save the new queue name. The newly created queue will
inherit the database traits of its parent directory initially. You can open
the new queue by double-clicking on it.

Once created, queues cannot be renamed from the iNEWS Workstation. If
you incorrectly name a newly created queue, delete it and recreate it with
the appropriate name.

Setting up the Outgoing Mail Queue
When someone sends e-mail, the first thing your system does is move the
mail to the outgoing mail queue, usually called SYSTEM.MAIL.OUT.

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Adding a Directory or Queue

Mail always uses the
form that is assigned to
the outgoing mail
queue. See “Mail
Form” on page 230 for
more information.

The outgoing mail queue’s name is defined in /site/dict/queues.
When your system was installed, the outgoing mail queue was defined in
this dictionary as SYSTEM.MAIL.OUT. To change this name, modify the
dictionary entry in /site/dict/queues. The token used to define the outgoing
mail queue is Q_MAILOUT.
After mail arrives in that queue, a utility program known as the mail server
processes and sends it to its intended destination. If the outgoing mail
queue, SYSTEM.MAIL.OUT, does not exist in the System directory, the
mail server cannot distribute e-mail. To create this queue, follow the
instructions provided in “Creating a New Queue” on page 103, making
these adjustments:
•

The queue’s name should be “Out.”

•

The queue should be located in the Mail folder, which is in the System
directory. If the Mail folder (directory) does not exist, create it. See
“Creating a New Directory” on page 101 for more information.

Moreover, the Out queue’s read group must be set properly for the mail
server to process mail correctly. See “Read Group” on page 174 for more
information. Although not required, you can restrict read permission for
the queue SYSTEM.MAIL.OUT to a group that has no users. Doing so
does not interfere with anyone’s ability to send e-mail, but it prevents
anyone (except superusers) from reading mail that is in
SYSTEM.MAIL.OUT waiting to be processed. See “Restricting Both
Reading and Writing” on page 177 for more information.
Also, for your system to notify the mail server when new mail arrives in
SYSTEM.MAIL.OUT, that queue must have the same mailbox number
assigned to it as the mail server. If the queue does not have a mailbox or
has an incorrect one, your system has no way to notify the mail server
when there is mail to process. See “Mailbox section” on page 134 for more
information.

The mailbox number is not solely related to e-mail. This database trait lets
you link a queue to a server (utility program) so that the system notifies the
server program when stories are added to or edited in the queue. See
“Mailbox section” on page 134 and Chapter 13 for more information.

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Chapter 5 Stories Queues, and Directories

Setting up the Dead Letter Queue
Your system must also have a dead letter queue, usually called
SYSTEM.MAIL.ERROR. This queue is a final destination for any e-mail
that your system is unable to deliver to the addressee or return to the
sender.

The dead letter queue’s name is defined in /site/dict/queues as
SYSTEM.MAIL.ERROR. To change the name of the queue, modify its
dictionary entry in /site/dict/queues.
If SYSTEM.MAIL.ERROR does not exist, any mail that the mail server
cannot deliver or return to the sender is put in the Dead queue. To create
this queue, follow the instructions provided in “Creating a New Queue” on
page 103, making these adjustments:
•

The queue’s name should be “Error.”

•

The queue should be located in the Mail folder, located in the System
directory. If the Mail folder (directory) does not exist, create it. See
“Creating a New Directory” on page 101 for more information.

Returned mail may contain sensitive information. Therefore, restrict read
permission for SYSTEM.MAIL.ERROR to a group that has no members.
Then, only superusers can read mail in the queue. See “Read Group” on
page 174 for more information. Examine the queue occasionally to see
whether any mail exists.

Creating a New Story
To create a new story in a queue:

1. Navigate to the queue in which you want to create a story.
2. Open the queue by double-clicking on it.
3. Press the Insert key. A new story is inserted at the top of the queue.

106

Adding a Directory or Queue

Removing a Directory or Queue
If a queue or story is locked, unlock it first before removing it from the
database.
Also, each directory or queue should be empty of other directories, queues,
and stories, before it is removed, but it is not required.

If a directory contains sub-folders or queues when you attempt to
remove it, iNEWS NRCS will prompt you for confirmation. If you
affirm the remove command, the directory and all its contents will be
removed from the system. Caution should be taken so that sub-folders
and sub-queues are not inadvertently removed.
To remove a directory or queue from the database:

1. Log in as a system administrator unless you have write-access to the
queue or directory.
2. Select the directory or queue you want to remove.
3. Do one of the following:
t

Select Tools > Remove Folder (or Remove Queue).

Right-click on the directory or queue, then select Remove Folder
(or Remove Queue) from the pop-up menu.

Renaming a Directory or Queue
You cannot change the name of a directory or queue from an iNEWS
Workstation. However, you can rename one from the console. All traits are
preserved when a folder or queue is renamed.

Do not rename queues on an active database. Do not run directory or
queue modification console commands (such as dbvisit or dbtraits) at
the same time as the rename command.

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Chapter 5 Stories Queues, and Directories

To rename a directory or queue in the database:

1. At the console, enter superuser mode.
2. Select all computers. See “Selecting One or More Servers” on page 33
for more information.
3. Take the system offline, by typing the command: offline
4. Broadcast a message instructing users to log out.
5. Logout all users on the system, before renaming a queue or directory.
This ensures that no stories are open for editing and no devices are
running while rename is executing.

If users are not logged out, changes to stories may not be saved after
the queue or directory is renamed. It is often most efficient to make
several name changes at once. See “Logging Out All Users” on page 94
for more information.
6. Type: stop all. This command stops running all utility
programs—known as servers—wire programs, and devices.
7. Select one computer.
8. Type the rename command to rename the folder or queue. Use the
following format:
rename

[-v|-r]

For instance, to rename your People folder to PEOPLE.STAFF, select
one computer and type:
NRCS-B# rename people people.staff

A message similar to the following appears:
Do you really want to rename

PEOPLE

and all its sub-directories to PEOPLE.STAFF ?
56 records will be modified [y/n]:

To display a console message for each renamed folder and queue,
include the -v (for verbose) option with the rename command, such as:
NRCS-B# rename -v people people.staff

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Adding a Directory or Queue

If an attempt to rename a folder or queue was interrupted by a system
crash, complete it by re-entering the same command with the -r
option. Use this option only to resume an interrupted renaming—at
any other time, its use will corrupt the database.
9. To continue with the renaming, type: y
A message similar to the following appears:
56 records will be modified [y/n]: y
Adding new directories...
Updating directory names...
56 directories renamed
1 directories added

The system verifies that the queue or folder you specified exists, and it
creates new folders necessary to complete your command (such as
STAFF in this example). If you choose a pathname over 63 characters,
the following appears:
TO: name too long

Before modifying files, the system checks for name length overflow. If any
of the directory/queue names exceed their maximum length, no changes are
made.
10. A verification request appears:
Do you want to update the user file (MAIL, HOME, DEST)?
[y/n]:

The user file is where the names of users’ mail queues, home folders,
and automatic destinations are stored. If you answer y, any item
affected by renaming is changed automatically. If you answer n, you
must change them yourself. Typically, answer y.
Do you want to update the user file (MAIL, HOME, DEST)?
[y/n]: y
23 user records modified

11. Manually update any other references on the iNEWS system to the
renamed folders.

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Chapter 5 Stories Queues, and Directories

Update the references while the system is unavailable to users. Failure
to update any references affected by renaming a folder or queue can
cause problems with system operation.
These references can include:
•

Command bar icons set up by users

•

Your system’s service table

•

Dialogs

•

Keyboard description stories

•

Server or Rx/Tx link job lists

•

Wire distribution or keyword stories

•

Your system’s queue dictionary (/site/dict/queues)

12. Select all servers.
13. Restart all devices by typing: restart
You will see Hot-to-go messages as each device starts.
14. Bring the system back online by typing: online
This allows users to log in.
15. Exit from superuser mode by pressing Ctrl+D.

Viewing Database Traits
You can get information about your iNEWS database from both the
iNEWS console and workstations. Which one you use depends on what
information you want.

From the iNEWS Workstation...
To get database information on a specific directory or queue from an
iNEWS Workstation:

1. Log in to iNEWS NRCS at an iNEWS Workstation.
2. Open an iNEWS Workspace.
110

Viewing Database Traits

3. Navigate to the directory or queue you want in the Directory panel.
4. Right-click on the directory or queue name.
5. Select Properties in the pop-up menu.
The Directory/Queue Properties dialog box shows you the properties
(traits) for the directory or queue you selected; however, its look may
vary. For instance, the Locks tab does not appear when viewing
properties of directories. If you are not logged in as a system
administrator, and a database manager account was not created in
iNEWS NRCS, the dialog will appear like this:

The options in the dialog box appear gray, indicating they are for
viewing only and cannot be altered. So, any user can view the traits of
directories and queues in the iNEWS database from a workstation.

From the iNEWS Console
To get information about stories in your iNEWS database, or to view a list
of database traits for several directories or queues at once, you can use the
list command at your console:

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Chapter 5 Stories Queues, and Directories

•

list d provides information about

directories or queues
•

list q provides information about stories in

queues.
Both of these commands have a verbose option, such as list d-v,
that gives you more detailed information. For instance, a verbose
list, such as list q-v, includes read and write group information
for each story in the queue. Read and write groups are explained in
Chapter 6. Also, see Appendix G.
Sending Output from the List Command to a Printer
Sometimes you may want a printout of database traits assigned to certain
queues and directories. This can be done at the console.
To send the output from list d or list q to a system printer (PCU
serial port), precede the command with print and the printer number. Use
the same printer number you use when printing from an iNEWS
Workstation.
For instance, to send to printer 4 a list of the traits for the Rundowns
directory and all the subdirectories and queues in that directory, type:
print 4 list d rundowns

If you use a non-existent printer number in the command, the resultant
print story will be placed in the DEAD queue where you may retrieve it.
The print command works with any variation of the list command or
with any command that generates output on the console screen.
Getting Information about Stories
The list q command lists story information for any of your system’s
queues. The basic format of the command is as follows:
list

n
112

[]

The specifies the number of stories from the queue you
want to list. Queues may contain thousands of stories so a command
without a specified may scroll large amounts of output.

Viewing Database Traits

For instance, to limit the list to the first three stories in
PEOPLE.CAROLYN.NOTES, type:
list q people.carolyn.notes 3

A message similar to the following appears:
PEOPLE.CAROLYN.NOTES.SEARCH id=449889
rec quick index
LHDM-WObfpRmF f.id
time
2
pm-chronology --DM-W------- 457243 165
3
pm-thumbnails --DM-W------- 487595 163

modified-time
Jul 10 16:16:39 2000
Jul 10 16:21:17 2000

By default, the stories are listed in chronological order, with the oldest
story first.
To list information for a particular story, use this format:
list qindex= q

The index value is the value of the selected sort field of the story you want
to list. This value is typically the text found in the title field, but you can set
different fields as the index field. The quick index value must be a single
word, with no spaces, and can be uppercase or lowercase.
For instance, to get story information for a story called Nomad in the queue
PEOPLE.SMITH.NOTES, type:
list qindex=nomad q people.smith.notes

A screen similar to the following appears:
PEOPLE.SMITH.NOTES id=449889
rec quick index
LHDM-WObfpRmF
3901 bc-exp--nomad --DM---------

f.id
time
420690 165

modified-time
Jul 6 20:23:11 2000

In this example of the story in PEOPLE.SMITH.NOTES, the D and M
flags appear, indicating the story is duplicated and has the modified flag
set.

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Chapter 5 Stories Queues, and Directories

The one-letter flags (LHDM-WObfpRmF) after the quick indexes provide
current status information. The flags are:
L
H
D
M
W
O

Locked
Held
Duplicated
Modified
--------Wire
Ordered

b
f
p
R
m
F

Story’s body (text) is edit locked
Story’s fields are edit locked
Story’s production cues are edit locked
Read-only
Mail
Floating

You cannot change any of these flags from the console, except the editlocked status, which you can remove from a story with the unbusy console
command. For instructions, see “Unbusy Stories and Queues” on page 149.
Finding out Who Moved, Duplicated, or Killed a Story
To list the last person to move, duplicate, or kill a particular story in a
queue, use this format of list q:
list qindex= q-mb

Since the Index field is typically the field containing the story’s title (slug),
it can be used as the .
The is a word from the Index (sort) field of the story. It
must be a single word, with no spaces. It is not case-sensitive. The
is the numerical limit of stories provided in response to your list
command—for instance, the most recent stories killed in the Dead queue.
To list this information for each story in a queue when you do not know a
word in the Index field—the story’s title—use this format:
list

q-mb

The b in the command is optional. The difference between list q-mb
and list q-m is:

114

list

q-m

lists begins at the oldest story in the queue

list

q-mb

lists from the most recent material in the queue,

Viewing Database Traits

such as the most recently killed stories in Dead.
You can also run the command without the m to see the date and time
stories were moved, duplicated or killed. For instance, type:
list q-b dead 5

A screen similar to the following appears:
DEAD id=123231
rec
quick index
LHDM-WObfpRmF
0
---M--O-----1
kyw-directors --DM--O-----

f.id
time modified-time
314490 0
Sep 6 09:51:58 2000
313587 15
Sep 5 11:47:33 2000

-2

---M--------

161746 11

-3

sep 2000

---M--------

314093 0

Sep 5 17:34:19 2000

-4

008

--DM--O-----

313555 600

Sep 5 16:49:24 2000

Sep 6 09:15:06 2000

Here is an example of how to obtain the five most recently killed stories in
dead:
list q-mb dead 5

A screen similar to the following appears:
DEAD id=123231
rec
quick index
LHDM-WObfpRmF f.id
0
---M--O----- 314490
-1
kyw-directors --DM--O----- 313587

time user name
0
palmer
15
williams

-2

---M-------- 161746

-3

sep 2000

---M-------- 314093

-4

008

--DM--O----- 313555

600

adbpurge

ragusa

As shown in the example, some stories may be sent to the Dead queue by
system processes, such as the automatic dbpurge (adbpurge). Lines without
names are old versions of stories that were not written in the database by a
user; for instance, they may have been put in the database through txnet.
Here is an example of how to get information for a story called “Camera”
in the ASSIGNMENTS.MONDAY queue:
list qindex=camera q-m assignments.monday

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Chapter 5 Stories Queues, and Directories

A screen similar to the following appears:
ASSIGNMENTS.MONDAY id=14569
rec
quick index
LHDM-WObfpRmF f.id
0
camera
--DM-------- 16217

time user name
274
williams

Williams was the last person to move, duplicate, or kill this story;
list q-m does not make any distinction between these actions. Killed
stories can reside only in the Dead queue, while duplicated stories will
have the D flag on their listing, as shown in the previous example.

If a utility program, such as a server or link, moves, duplicates, or kills a
story, its device number is listed in the list q-m or list q-mb
display.
When using the list command, long list results will scroll out of sight on
the console screen. Since you may need to search through a long list of
stories, such as 5000 in the Dead queue, you can redirect the output of the
list command to a file in the database. For instance, the follow example
redirects output to a user’s Notes queue.
NRCS-A# list q-mb dead 5000 | doc pu people.p.palmer.notes

Recovering a Killed Story
You can recover a story that has been killed—moved to and currently
resides in the Dead queue—from any iNEWS Workstation.
To retrieve a story to the database from the Dead queue:

1. Log in as a system administrator—that is, with a superuser account.
This ensures you access to the Dead queue. On most systems, access to
the Dead queue is restricted.
2. Navigate to the Dead queue in the Directory panel and open it by
double-clicking on it.
The Dead queue cannot
be indexed, so do not
use the Fast Text
Search feature.

3. Locate the story that you want to recover in the Dead queue, by
scanning the list of stories displayed in the Queue panel for the story
title (slug) or using the Find or Find All command.
4. Select the story or stories you want to retrieve by doing one of the
following:

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Changing Database Traits

Click on the selector button located to the left of the story’s row in
the Queue panel. The entire row is highlighted when selected.

Move cursor to row and press Shift-Spacebar.

Click on each row while holding down the Control (Ctrl) key to
select multiple stories. The Shift key can be held down if you want
to select all story rows between two mouse clicks.

5. Copy the selected story (or stories) to the new location by doing one of
the following:
t

Click on and drag the highlighted selection to another queue in the
Directory panel and release. The selected stories will be copied to
the new queue location.

Use the Copy and Paste buttons or the Edit menu options to copy
and paste the highlighted selection into a new queue location.

Use the Duplicate command to copy the highlighted selection to
another location—particularly if the Dead queue is read-only.

Changing Database Traits
You must be logged on as a system administrator—that is using an account
with the superuser trait—or provide the database manager (dbmanager)
password to change database traits of directories and queues. For more
information on dbmanager, see “The Database Manager Account” on
page 93.
As the system administrator, you can alter database traits of a single
directory (folder) or apply your changes to any subdirectories or queues in
that parent directory as well.
When you change a directory’s traits from a workstation, the changes only
affects the directory you selected, unless you specify otherwise. This is
directly opposite to what happens when changing database traits at the
console. See Appendix G for more information.

Avid recommends you ensure that no users are working in a directory or
queue prior to altering the database traits of that directory or queue.

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To change database traits:

1. Navigate to the directory you want to change in the Directory panel of
the iNEWS Workstation.
2. Right-click on that directory.
3. Select Properties from the pop-up menu. One of two things will
happen, which will determine what you are to do next.
t

If you are logged on as a system administrator, the Directory
Properties dialog box will appear. Go to step 5.

If you are not logged on as a system administrator, the Directory
Properties dialog box will appear in read-only mode—that is, all
the fields in the dialog box will be gray, which indicates they are
for viewing only. Go to step 4.

4. Click on the dbmanager login button (located at the bottom left corner
of the dialog box) to gain access to change traits in the dialog box.

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Changing Database Traits

The system will prompt you for the database manager password. Fill it
in, click OK.

The Database Manager Password dialog box disappears, and the
dbmanager login button in the Directory Properties dialog box is
replaced with a check box. Go on to step 5.

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Chapter 5 Stories Queues, and Directories

If you are altering the
traits of a queue, you
can skip step 5
completely because the
Apply changes... check
box does not apply and
will not appear in the
Queue Properties
dialog box.

Selecting and/or
unselecting check
boxes in the
Directory/Queue
Properties dialog box
does not apply changes
immediately. Only step
7 does that.

5. Do one of the following:
t

Click on the check box labeled Apply changes to all subdirectories
and queues, if you want the changes you make to apply to all
queues and subdirectories in the parent directory.

Do not select the Apply changes... check box, if you only want to
change the traits of the chosen directory. The database traits are
applied only to the directory selected when the Directory
Properties dialog box opened.

Selecting the Apply changes... check box does not apply the new settings at
that point. It just indicates whether you intend to apply them to all
subdirectories and queues. Also, when you apply your changes to all
subdirectories and queues, those changes are not immediately apparent at
all workstations. Users should log off and back on to see the changes.
6. Make changes to the various traits as needed. These traits are
explained in detail in the next section of this chapter.
7. Click OK to save changes & apply settings.

Database Traits Summary
Assigning traits can be done from the iNEWS Workstation as well as the
console. For information on viewing and altering database traits from the
console, see Appendix G.
On the iNEWS Workstation, the database traits are grouped together on
various tabs in the Directory/Queue Properties dialog box. This section
provides a detailed description of the dialog box, tabs and database traits.
In some cases, traits offer a selection of options, such as what read group is
assigned to a queue. These traits are usually shown as drop-down lists in
the dialog box. In other cases, traits are either assigned to a queue or
not—that is, the trait is “turned on” or “turned off.” These traits are usually
shown as check boxes in the dialog box.

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Database Traits Summary

Directory/Queue Properties Dialog Box
The appearance of the Directory/Queue Properties dialog box’s changes
slightly, depending on whether you choose to view properties for a queue
or a directory. First, the dialog box’s title bar will appear different,
indicating that choice—either Directory Properties or Queue Properties.
Other differences include check boxes and tabs. For instance, the Apply
changes... check box—shown at left—only appears in the bottom left
corner of the Directory Properties dialog box. Also, the Ordered check box
only appears in the right column of the Forms tab in the Queue Properties
dialog box.
The number of tabs varies as well, depending on whether you choose to
view properties for a queue or a directory.
The tabs are:
•

Forms

•

Groups

•

Abstract

•

Maintain

•

User Interface

•

Locks (This tab only appears for Queue properties.)

Each tab is explained in the following sections.

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Forms Tab

The Forms tab is unique because it is the only tab that allows access to
certain items even when a user is connected to a local database, as opposed
to the mirrored database on the system’s servers.

122

If you are connected to a local database on your workstation, you can still
change the queue and story form selection using the drop-down lists.
However, all other traits in the Directory/Queue Properties dialog box will
appear gray, indicating access to them is read-only.
•

Queue

– The Queue drop-down list, allows you to select a
form used to display information in the Queue
panel. The form defines what fields appear, which
should be a sub-set of the fields used in the story
form. A field included in the queue form that does
not actually exist in the story form cannot be
written to in the Queue panel. When ! is
selected, no form is applied. This drop-down list is
the equivalent of the database trait (dbtrait),
qform, at the console.

•

Story

– The Story drop-down list, allows you to select a
form used to display information in the form fields
of the Story Form panel. When ! is

Database Traits Summary

selected, no form is applied. This drop-down list is
the equivalent of the dbtrait, sform, at the
console.
•

Index Field

– The Index Field drop-down list, allows you to
select a form field used if a queue is sorted
(usually the Title field, also known as Slug
field). Additionally, the cursor is placed on
this form field by default when a user
displays stories in a queue. This drop-down
list is the equivalent of the dbtrait,
sortfield, at the console.

The optional fields in the Index Field drop-down list depend on the form
selected in the Story drop-down list on the Forms tab. For instance, if you
select a story form that only contains two fields, such as Title and Writer,
then those two fields will be the only options listed in the Index Field dropdown list.
•

Update existing...– The Update existing stories to use story form
check box, when selected, changes the story form
assignment for previously existing stories within a
queue. This check box is the equivalent of the
dbtrait, cform, at the console.

•

Strip embedded...– The Strip embedded form info for existing
stories check box, when selected, removes
embedded form traits from stories. For
instance, queues with the Forms Allowed
trait stamps the look of the story form into the
story. Assigning a different story form to one
of these queues and selecting Update
existing... check box will not affect the look of
stories with the embedded forms. You would
need to strip the embedded “look” from the
story so it would then use the form assigned
to the queue it is in. This check box is the
equivalent of the dbtrait, stripform, at the
console.

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124

The Update existing... and Strip embedded... check boxes are not database
traits, but rather, they are used to apply current settings and/or changes in
the dialog box at present. This means they will always appear unchecked
when the dialog box opens, and they will not appear at all if the
Directory/Queue Properties dialog box is opened in read-only mode.
•

Forms Allowed – The Forms Allowed check box must be assigned to
all queues in the Forms directory. The forms will
not work without this database trait applied.
Additionally, this trait can be assigned to any
queue in the database, but is usually only assigned
to other queues that receive stories from other
systems via rxnet/txnet and then build forms
for those stories, as needed. This check box is the
equivalent of the dbtrait, +f|-f, at the console.

•

Indexed

– The Indexed check box, when selected, applies the
Index trait. This trait is assigned to queues and
directories that you want to be indexed by the Fast
Text Search (FTS) server. This allows for quicker
searching of the queue or directory.
This check box is the equivalent of the dbtrait,
+index|-index, at the console. See “Batch
Indexing Directories (Folders)” on page 483 for
more information.

•

Sorted

– The Sorted check box, when selected, applies the
sort trait, which determines whether or not the
stories in a queue will be sorted. Queues with the
sort trait are sorted by the form field you choose in
the Index Field drop-down list. For instance, you
may want to sort a rundown queue by the Page
Number field, so when a user changes the
numbering in the fields of that column, the rows
automatically adjust to the numerical order. See
“Starting the Queue Sort Function” on page 128
for more information. This check box is the
equivalent of the dbtrait, +so|-so, at the
console.

Database Traits Summary

The Ordered check box
only appears on the
Queue Properties
dialog box, not the
Directory Properties
dialog box.

•

Ordered

– The Ordered check box is a unique check box,
because it may appear as read-only, depending on
the circumstance. It is provided to show you
whether a queue is currently ordered. This is
particularly helpful in identifying queues that have
the sort trait, but are no longer being sorted
because a user manually adjusted the order of the
stories in the queue. If a sorted queue was
manually ordered, the check box appears white
and contains a checkmark, which you can remove
if you want to reinstate the sorting feature.
Unchecking the check box is the equivalent of the
dbtrait, -o, at the console. See “Starting the
Queue Sort Function” on page 128 for more
information. However, if a queue is not ordered at
present, then the box will appear gray and empty.
You cannot select this box to order a queue. See
“Finding out Who Last Ordered a Queue” on
page 143 for more information.

Index Field/Story Form Compatibility Error Messages

A story form is a form that defines the fields displayed in the Story Form
panel of the iNEWS Workspace. The fields typically consist of important
information about the stories kept in the queue, such as the title, writer’s
name, and the dates the story was created or modified. The field chosen as
the Index Field in the Queue Properties dialog box serves two purposes:
•

It is the field used to sort stories in sorted queues.

•

When the Index Field is selected during a Find or FInd All search of a
non-indexed queue, the system is able to return search results faster.

The Index Field is not associated with Fast Text Searches (FTS).
Therefore, it is crucial that the field selected as the Index Field actually
exists as part of the story form. For this reason, the system will check for
compatibility between the settings of the Story drop-down list and the
Index Field drop-down list. Depending on the list selections, various
messages may appear.

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When the index field is already defined based on the current story form
setting, and a user selects a different form from the Story drop-down list,
the system will check to see if the field chosen as the index field exists in
the new story form. If it does not, a warning is issued. For instance, the
Index Field drop-down list is set to a field, such as Audio-Time, and the
Story drop-down list is set to the Rundown story form. At the current
settings, there is no warning because the Audio-Time field exists in the
Rundown story form. However, if the user changes the story form from
Rundown to another form that does not have the Audio-Time field, the
following message appears.

The Audio-Time field is no longer in the Index Field drop-down list. The
user must select another field from the list as the warning message
instructed. When the user clicks on the Index Field drop-down list, the
system refreshes the list of options to display only those fields that exist in
the currently selected story form.

126

Normally, pressing the Escape (Esc) key after the Index Field drop-down
list is open (and therefore, refreshed), will close the list, retaining the
original field selection. However, if the original field choice does not exist
in the newly chosen story form—such as the Audio-Time field in the
previously mentioned example—the list closes without any selection made,
in which case, the setting appears blank.

Database Traits Summary

If you select no story form—or set it to !— then the system is
forced to blank out the index field and issue the following warning
message.

This means the Index Field drop-down list will be inaccessible and appear
grayed out. When the index field setting is blank, the system will use the
default field, which is the Title field (also called the Slug field).
When an index field is blank—or in other words, no field is selected—the
following message appears.

If the index field drop-down list was already set to the Title field when the
Directory/Queue Properties dialog box opened, and the user manually
blanks out the setting, the following message appears.

The above message indicates that by blanking out the index field setting,
the default field, which is Title, is automatically applied. Since the default
is the same field as the original field setting, no change occurs.

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Starting the Queue Sort Function

If someone orders a sorted queue, the sorting is disabled even though the
trait is still applied to the queue. You restart the Queue Sort Function from
the console or any iNEWS Workstation. See “Starting the Queue Sort
Function from the Console” on page 786 for more information.
When a sorted queue is ordered, the Queue Properties dialog box will
appear similar to this:

You cannot use the Ordered check box to apply the Ordered attribute. In
other words, when the box is not checked, it will appear gray, indicating
that it is read-only. Ordering a queue is done by manually moving stories
around within the Queue panel.
To turn off the Ordered attribute and allow the queue to resume its
original sorting function from the workstation:

1. Click on the Ordered check box, removing the checkmark.
2. Click OK to save the change.

128

Database Traits Summary

When turning off the Ordered check box and clicking OK—the equivalent
of dbtrait -o—the current contents of the queue will be sorted,
immediately and automatically. Any stories added to the queue or stories
edited in the queue will be sorted.

Groups Tab

•

General

– The General check box, when selected, specifies
that stories moved to the queue will retain their
original security restrictions, namely, their read
and write groups. For instance, in most cases, sites
restrict access to the Dead queue, but to further
guarantee security of stories, the General trait is
applied to the Dead queue. This prevents users
who do have access to the Dead queue from
opening restricted stories after they are deleted
from other queues that were inaccessible to the
users. See Chapter 6, “Groups,” on page 6-153 for
more information. This check box is the
equivalent of the dbtrait, +g|-g, at the console.
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Chapter 5 Stories Queues, and Directories

130

•

Read Group

– The Read Group drop-down list allows you to
restrict read access to a queue or directory to a
group of users. Users who are not in the read
group cannot see the directory or queue. When
! is selected, no group is applied;
therefore, all users will have read access to the
queue or directory. The groups are not created
here. See Chapter 6, “Groups,” on page 6-153 for
more information. This drop-down list is the
equivalent of the dbtrait, rg, at the console.

•

Write Group

– The Write Group drop-down list allows you to
restrict write access to a queue or directory. Users
who are not in the write group cannot add or
modify data in the directory or queue. Users
cannot delete stories in any queue if they are not in
the write group for the Dead queue. When
! is selected, no group is applied;
therefore, all users will have write access to the
queue or directory. The groups are not created
here. See Chapter 6, “Groups,” on page 6-153 for
more information. This check box is the
equivalent of the dbtrait, wg, at the console.

•

Notify Group

– The Notify Group drop-down list allows you to
specify what group of users is notified whenever
stories are added to or modified in a queue. When
! is selected, no group is applied;
therefore, no users will be notified of additions or
modifications to the queue or directory. The
groups are not created here. See Chapter 6,
“Groups,” on page 6-153 for more information.
This check box is the equivalent of the dbtrait, ng,
at the console.

Database Traits Summary

Abstract Tab

Abstract printing
applies only to system
printing, not local
printing.

When a story is added to or modified in an abstract print queue, the system
automatically prints a portion of the story, as defined by the properties on
the Abstract tab.
•

– The Print check box, when selected, applies the
abstract print trait to a queue or directory. The
other aspects of this trait, such as printers and
styles, cannot be applied until this trait is turned
on. This check box is the equivalent of the dbtrait,
al, at the console.

•

Printers:

– The Printers: drop-down list allows you to select a
printer the system will use to automatically print
abstracts for the queue. This drop-down list is the
equivalent of the dbtrait, ap, at the console.

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Chapter 5 Stories Queues, and Directories

•

Styles:

•

Lines section

– The Styles drop-down list allows you to select a
style the system will use when automatically
printing abstracts for the queue. This drop-down
list is the equivalent of the dbtrait, as, at the
console.

All lines - story... – The All lines - story format radio button,
when selected indicates the queue has the
abstract print trait, and the system will print
all lines of new or modified stories in story
format as an abstract from that queue. This is
equivalent of the dbtrait, a1 127, at the
console.

All lines - script...– The All lines - script format radio button,
when selected, indicates the queue has the
abstract print trait, and the system will print
all lines of new or modified stories in script
format—that is, including production
cues—as an abstract from that queue. This is
equivalent of the dbtrait, a1 126, at the
console.

Lines 1 through – The Lines 1 through radio button, when
selected, indicates the queue has the abstract
print trait, and the system will print the
designated number of lines of each new or
modified story as an abstract from that queue.
This is equivalent of the dbtrait, a1 N, at the
console.

Uses for Abstract Printing

A common use for this feature is to print abstracts of wire stories on a
specific topic. To do this, set up a wire keyword story to send to an abstract
printing queue a copy of every wire story relating to the topic.
You can also use abstract printing to create a “paper trail” of changes made
to stories in a particular queue. For instance, a producer may want a record
of changes made to a show’s scripts. By making the queue where these

132

Database Traits Summary

scripts are written an abstract printing queue, the user can have the system
print a record of every change made. Also, if the queue’s form includes a
“modified by” field, the producer can get a record of who made each
change.

If you edit a story in an abstract printing queue, your system prints an
abstract of the new version of the story when you save the changes. To
avoid printing an abstract, move stories to a queue that is not an abstract
printing queue before editing them.

Maintain Tab

•

Save Old Versions– The Save Old Versions drop-down list determines
how many old story versions are retained in each
queue. The Save Old Versions drop-down list is
the equivalent of the dbtrait, save-|n|o|a, at
the console. Options include:
-

Save None – Retains no old versions of a story
when a new revision is saved in the queue.

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Chapter 5 Stories Queues, and Directories

n
See “Using Mailboxes”
on page 419 for more
information.

134

Save Previous – Retains the previous version
of a story when a new revision is saved in the
queue.

Save Original – Retains the original version of
a story when a new revision is saved in the
queue.

Save All – Retains all versions of a story when
a new revision is saved in the queue.

The Save Old Versions trait is queue-specific. For instance, a story is
moved from a queue that saves all versions to a queue saving none. In this
case, all versions are moved to that queue, but the next time the story is
edited and saved, the old versions are sent to the Dead queue. The
command dbdump honors the Save Old Versions when set to Save None
and will only dump the latest version of a story in the queue with that trait.
•

Skip Backup

– The Skip Backup check box determines whether or
not a directory or queue is left out of database
backups. This check box is the equivalent of the
dbtrait, +x|-x, at the console, and is also known
as a skip flag.

•

Update

– The Update check box indicates whether or not the
stories in a queue will be replaced as new versions
are moved or copied to it. This check box is the
equivalent of the dbtrait, +u|-u, at the console.

The Update trait does not affect stories that are restored from tape
backups. If you restore a story to a queue that already contains a version of
that story, you will have two versions of the same story, even if the queue is
assigned the update trait.
•

Mailbox section
The Mailbox section does not apply to the e-mail feature of iNEWS
NRCS. These mailboxes are “signal carriers” by which utility
programs, called servers, are notified to perform a pre-defined task.
This section’s trait is the equivalent of the dbtrait, mail, at the
console. There are two types of mailboxes:

Database Traits Summary

•

System

– The System radio button and drop-down list
are used to assign mailboxes reserved for
system functions, such as the keyboard and
form checkers. Each queue or directory that
needs a reserved system mailbox is assigned
the correct one when the system is installed
by Avid Customer Support personnel.
Options include: All, Keyboard, Keyword,
Distribution, and Group. See “Reserved
Mailboxes” on page 421 for more
information.

Standard

– The Standard radio button and drop-down list
are used to assign mailboxes to queues. These
are mailboxes used by utility programs you
can configure, such as action servers. The
mailbox number assigned to the queue must
match the device number of the server
monitoring it, as defined in the
/site/config file. Valid mailbox
numbers are one through 4096. See “Using
the list Command to View Assigned
Mailboxes” on page 501 for more
information.

Purge

– The Purge section allows you to set the
reoccurrence schedule for purging a queue. The
purge interval determines how old stories in a
queue can get before they are purged. Every hour,
your system removes any stories that are older
than their queue’s purge interval and places the
stories in the Dead queue. The Purge section’s
Days and Hours spin boxes are the equivalent of
the dbtrait, purgeinterval, at the console.

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Chapter 5 Stories Queues, and Directories

Choosing Queues to be Purged

Any queue to which the system automatically sends stories should be
purged regularly. For instance, queues in the Wires directory should be
purged often , or else the database fills up with old wire stories. If you set
up a keyword story to send stories to a queue, ensure that queue is purged
regularly. Otherwise, you risk running low on space.
Purging is the first step
in the process of
freeing up space. Only
when stories are
removed from the Dead
queue by the dbserver
program is any
database space freed.

Queues that do not automatically receive material usually do not need to be
purged regularly. For instance, queues in the People directory are not
normally purged automatically, since they usually only receive stories
when users add them to their personal queues.
Choosing a Purge Interval

Different parts of your database contain different kinds of stories, and the
purge interval you set for each queue depends upon the kinds of stories in
the queue. Some material, for instance, may need to be held only 24 hours
while other material may need to be held three days—or not purged at all.
By choosing each directory or queue’s purge interval based on the kinds of
stories found there, you enable your system to remove old material that is
no longer needed and make room for new material.
You can have purge intervals as long as 2729 days and 23 hours or as short
as one hour. Additionally, you can set the purge interval to zero hours to
turn purging off for a particular directory or queue. You can adjust the
purge interval to suit the rate at which stories are added to the queue. In
general, the faster stories are added to a queue, the shorter you should
make the queue’s purge interval. Old stories that you restore from tape are
treated as if they were just created.

136

Old stories restored from tape are treated as newly created stories unless
the dbrestore -M option was used when the stories were restored from
tape. The -M option preserves the modification time of the story recorded
when the story was dumped to tape.

Database Traits Summary

If you notice an increase in the rate at which stories enter a particular
directory or queue, you may need to reduce its purge interval. For instance,
if you add another wire service to your system, the number of stories
entering wires each hour increases, and you probably need to reduce the
purge interval of wires to allow the system to keep up with this increase.
Matching Purge Intervals

When choosing a purge interval, pay attention to queues that are likely to
contain copies of stories held in other queues. Copies of stories are really
pointers that point back to the original story. The actual story cannot be
removed until all the copies have been purged. Otherwise, the copies
would not have a story to which they could point.
Ensure queues that are
likely to hold copies of
a story have roughly
the same purge
intervals as the queue
that holds the original.

In most systems, for instance, all wire stories are sent to WIRES.ALL and
copies of each story are distributed to other queues in the Wires directory.
This means that the system cannot purge a wire story until all the story’s
copies are also ready to be purged. To ensure that the story and its copies
are ready to be purged at about the same time, the queues in the Wires
directory are usually given similar purge intervals.
If someone edits a copy of a story and then saves the changes, the system
replaces the pointer with an actual story. Consequently, you do not need
worry about copies that have been edited, since they no longer point back
to the original story.
Purge Intervals and the Purge Limit

If the system detects that it is running low on space, it purges beyond each
queue’s purge interval, if necessary, to build up the free list. Your system
profile contains a parameter called the purge limit, which prevents the
system from purging more than a certain number of hours beyond each
queue’s purge interval.
In an emergency, your system purges as many hours beyond the purge
interval as the purge limit allows. Queues that contain important
information should have a purge interval at least five hours greater than the
purge limit. This ensures that stories up to five hours old are never purged,
even in a “low on space” emergency.

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Chapter 5 Stories Queues, and Directories

User Interface Tab

•

138

Preview Lines

– The Preview Lines spin box allows you to set a
number of lines per story that will appear as a
preview in the Queue panel. Usually, a queue will
only show one line of information per story,
similar to what appears in the fields of the Story
Form panel. By applying the preview trait, users
can also see a preview of each story’s text in the
Queue panel, without having to open the entire
story. A setting of zero will show the one line of
information that is the standard; A setting of one
will show that line plus one line of text, and so
forth. This trait can be overridden by a user’s
preferences. See “Preview Lines” on page 76 for
more information. The maximum number of
preview lines allowed is 22. This spin box is the
equivalent of the dbtrait, dis, at the console.

Database Traits Summary

•

Inverted

– The Inverted check box, when selected, will force
the most recent stories in a queue to be displayed
at the top. Otherwise, the most recent stories will
appear at the bottom. This check box is the
equivalent of the dbtrait, +i|-i, at the console.

•

Sequential

– The Sequential check box, when selected, will
force a directory to list its contents—of subdirectories and queues—in the order in which they
were created. Otherwise, the contents are listed in
alphabetical order. This check box is the
equivalent of the dbtrait, +s|-s, at the console.

•

Refresh

– The Refresh check box, when selected, assigns the
Refresh trait to a queue, so the system will begin
automatically refreshing your screen when
changes are made in the queue. This means when
you are looking at a queue in the Queue panel, you
will immediately see changes made to that queue
by other users. This check box is the equivalent of
the dbtrait, +refresh|-refresh, at the
console.

Use the Refresh trait only on important queues, like rundown queues that
are often modified by multiple users simultaneously. To automatically
refresh a queue, your system must spend a lot of time monitoring
workstations where users are viewing that queue. Assigning the refresh
trait to too many queues that are often accessed at the same time greatly
increases the amount of work your system has to do and may severely
degrade its overall performance.
•

Watch Appends – The Watch Appends check box, when selected,
allows a queue to monitor incoming data for new
stories sent by the wire service, appends them to
the wire queue, and immediately displays them to
users who have that wire queue open. While this
trait can be applied to any queue in iNEWS
NRCS, it is crucial that it be assigned to queues
that receive wire service data, such as the
WIRES.ALL queue. This check box is the
equivalent of the dbtrait, +w|-w, at the console.

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Chapter 5 Stories Queues, and Directories

140

•

Batch Allowed

– The Batch Allowed check box, when selected,
indicates whether or not the kill, move, or
duplicate operations can be performed against an
entire queue. Unchecking this box for a particular
queue does not affect the ability of people to kill,
move, or duplicate individual stories in the queue,
as long as they have appropriate permissions. This
check box is the equivalent of the dbtrait, +q|-q,
at the console. See Appendix G for more
information on Batch Allowed, also known as
Queue Operations Allowed.

•

Printable

– The Printable check box indicates whether you can
use the print command to print all stories in the
queue with a single command. This trait is usually
applied to rundown queues, such as
SHOWS.5PM.RUNDOWN. This trait does not limit
or prevent the ability to print a single story (or
script) in a queue. This check box is the equivalent
of the dbtrait, +p|-p, at the console and applies
to system printing.

•

Confirm Edit

– The Confirm Edit check box, when selected, will
instruct iNEWS NRCS to prompt for confirmation
before allowing a user to edit a story in the queue.
This trait is typically assigned to queues in which
users are likely to read but not change stories. It
should not be assigned to queues with stories that
are edited often. Doing so will needlessly slow
down the performance of your system. This check
box is the equivalent of the dbtrait, +r|-r, at the
console.

•

Text Timing

– The Text Timing check box, when selected,
activates the timing clocks that appear at the
bottom of the Story panel for all stories in the
queue. This check box is the equivalent of the
dbtrait, +t|-t, at the console. The clocks are:
-

TTC – Time from start of story to cursor

BLK – Time of blocked (or highlighted) text

Database Traits Summary

EST – Estimated read time of entire story

Locks Tab

The Locks tab is unique for two reasons: first, it only appears in the
Properties dialog box for a queue not a directory, and secondly, it is a readonly tab. It is provided for informational purposes only. It cannot be used
to alter the Lock/Unlock settings of a queue.
•

User Lock

– The Locked check box in the User Lock section
indicates that a user has either acquired an easy
lock or a key lock on the queue. The User Lock
field indicates the name of that user. If the queue is
easy locked, access to the locked queue is limited
to a system administrator (with a superuser
account) or the user who locked the queue. If the
queue is key locked, access to the locked queue is
limited to a system administrator (with a superuser
account) or any user who knows the key
(password). The check box and field depict the
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Chapter 5 Stories Queues, and Directories

current condition of the queue, so both are blank
when the queue is not locked. However, you can
find out the name of the last user to have locked
the queue by going to the console.
•

Order Lock

– The Locked check box in the Order Lock section
indicates the queue is order locked at present,
which limits who can rearrange the order of stories
in the queue. The Order Lock fields indicates the
user name and device which implemented the
order lock, and when it happened. The check box
and fields depict the current condition of the
queue, so both are blank when the queue is not
order locked. However, you can find out the name
of the last user to have order locked the queue by
going to the console.

Locking and Unlocking
This section provides information on the types of locks and how to
determine when a story or queue is locked and by whom. It also has
information on how to remove certain locks.

Identifying Locked Queues and Stories
Varying information on which queues and stories are locked and by whom
may be obtained from either the iNEWS Workstation or the console.
From the iNEWS Workstation...
At the iNEWS Workstation, you can identify currently locked queues by
the padlock that appears over queue icons in the Directory panel. As shown
at left, a similar padlock appears on the selector buttons in the Queue panel
when stories are locked. While the padlocks do not tell you who initiated
the lock, you can find that out for currently locked queues at the iNEWS
Workstation by viewing the Queue Properties dialog box. The information
is provided on the Locks tab as shown on page 141. To access this dialog
box, right-click on the queue in the Directory panel, and select Properties.
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Locking and Unlocking

If a queue or story is not locked at present, but you want to know who last
locked it, you must use the console.
From the Console...
You can find out more from the console about locked queues and stories,
even if they are no longer locked.
Finding out Who Last Locked a Queue

To find out the last user to have locked a queue, go to the console, and use
the list command in the following format:
list

d-u

[]

For instance, to find out who last locked the PEOPLE.SNOW.MAIL
queue, type:
list d-u people.snow.mail
See Appendix G for
more information on
the list command oneletter flags.

The name of the person who last locked the queue appears in the lockuser
column.
SRPlo-LIsUGQSXWFiT
Q-------I----S----

lockuser
edmonds

directory
PEOPLE.SNOW.MAIL

In this case, edmonds appears to be the last person to have ever locked the
PEOPLE.SNOW.MAIL queue. If the queue has never been locked, the
name of the person who created the queue appears.

The L flag of the list command output shows whether the queue is locked at
present.
Finding out Who Last Ordered a Queue

To find out who last order locked—that is, rearranged the order of a sorted
queue and from which device the order was initiated, go to the console and
use the list command in the following format:
list

d-o

[]

For instance, to find out who last ordered the CAST.MID.RUNDOWN
queue, type:
list d-o cast.mid.rundown
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Chapter 5 Stories Queues, and Directories

The name of the person who last ordered the queue appears in the
orderuser column.
SRPlo-LIsUGQSXWFiT orderuser
QSRP-----sU-Q------ williams

device
301

directory
CAST.MID.RUNDOWN

In this case, williams was the last person to order this queue. If the queue
has never been ordered, the order username will be blank and the device
number will be zero (0). If no queue name is entered in the command, the
order information for all folders and queues is displayed.

Using the list command does not provide any indication of whether the
queue is ordered at present.
To resume sorting in a sorted queue that has been ordered, see “Starting the
Queue Sort Function” on page 128.
Finding out Who Last Locked the Story

You can use the wholockedit command at the console to find out who last
locked each story in a particular queue. Follow wholockedit with the name
of the queue you want to investigate.
For instance, to find out who locked the stories in the
SHOW.10PM.RUNDOWN queue, type:
wholockedit show.10pm.rundown

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Locking and Unlocking

A screen similar to the following appears:
rec(4) locked by danielmi
modified by danielmi on 2004-02-09 11:53:20

A04
DB
MAYORAL RACE
VO/W
clip13

20
0
20

1076349200
danielmi

In the previous example, the story, MAYORAL RACE, is the only one in
the queue that is locked. The last user to lock and the last user to modify
the story are provided; they aren’t always the same. If no stories are locked
in the queue, the system will display the message: no stories
locked.
To see the status of every story in the queue, add all to the end of the
command, after the queue name.

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Chapter 5 Stories Queues, and Directories

Types of Locks
There are four types of locks that can apply to either stories or queues: Edit
lock, User lock, Order lock, Production lock. Not all the locks apply to
both stories and queues. All four types are explained in the following
sections.
Edit Lock
An Edit lock is applied to a story to prevent multiple users from editing the
story at the same time. The Edit lock is applied in two ways:
•

Manually – when a user types Ctrl+E. This locks both the story form
and body when neither are already locked by the system.

•

Automatically – by the system, which occurs in a segmented way
when a user begins typing in either the story body or the story form.
For instance, when a user types in the Story Text panel, the system
locks the story’s body. But another user may still type in the Story
Form panel, which results in an automatic lock of the story’s form for
that user.

When a user attempts to manually lock a story by typing Ctrl+E, the
system checks for segmented Edit locks. If one exists for either
segment—the body or form—iNEWS notifies the user.
Additionally, edit lock indicators are provided on the Status bar.
The user, danielmi, locked the story form.
The user, danielmi, locked the story’s body.
The user, danielmi, locked the entire story, body and
form.
The user, jeff, locked the story body, but the user,
danielmi, has the Edit lock for the story form.

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Locking and Unlocking

Removing a Story’s Edit Lock

The Edit lock is removed automatically when a story is saved, or when a
user navigates to another location in the database. A user can manually
remove the Edit lock (while remaining in the story) by saving the story or
by doing one of the following:
t

Type Ctrl+E.

Select Story > Edit unlock.

Click the Edit lock button on the Main toolbar (shown at left). The Edit
lock is removed when the button no longer appears pushed in.

If a story is mistakenly left edit locked, it is considered to be in a busy
state. You must unbusy the story before anyone can edit it. See “Unbusy
Stories and Queues” on page 149 for more information.
User Lock
A User lock is a lock that is manually (or purposefully) applied to a story
or a queue by a user to limit who can see the contents of the queue or story.
Additionally, there are two types of User locks:
•

A Key lock is when a user locks the queue and applies a password,
known as a key, to the queue. At that point, only system administrators
and users who know the key can access the queue or story.

•

An Easy lock is when a user locks the queue or story and applies their
User ID as the key to the queue. At that point, only system
administrators and users who log in using that User ID can access the
queue or story.

When the user forgets the key or is unavailable to log in and unlock the
queue or story, you must remove the lock before anyone can access the
queue or story.

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Chapter 5 Stories Queues, and Directories

Removing a Story’s User Lock Without a Key

Before you unlock any story, find out who locked the story. You want to
make certain that you do not unlock a story that is being used at the time.
See “Finding out Who Last Locked the Story” on page 144 for more
information.
To unlock a story without knowing its key:

1. Log in as a system administrator—that is, with a superuser account.
You must be a system administrator to remove a lock for which you do
not know the key.
2. Double-click on the story to open it in the Story panel. The system will
prompt for the key.
3. Press Enter. The story will open without the key, because you logged
in with a superuser account.
4. Position your cursor in the Story panel.
5. Select Tools > Unlock Story. A User Unlock Story dialog box will
appear.
6. Click the Unlock button.
7. Save the story.
Removing a Queue’s User Lock Without a Key

Before you unlock (unbusy) any queue, find out who locked the queue.
You want to make certain that you do not unlock a queue that is being used
at the time. See “Finding out Who Last Locked a Queue” on page 143 for
more information.
To unlock a queue without knowing its key:

1. Log in as a system administrator—that is, with a superuser account.
You must be a system administrator to remove a lock for which you do
not know the key.
2. Select the queue to unlock.
3. Select Tools > Unlock Queue. The User Unlock Queue dialog box
appears.
4. Click the Unlock button.
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Locking and Unlocking

5. Click OK.
Order Lock
An Order lock is automatically applied to a queue by the system. The
system places an Order lock on each queue being ordered—that is, while
someone is moving a story in the queue. After the story is moved, the
system automatically removes the Order lock. So, the lock only applies to
the queue during the actual moving process. If you try to move a different
story in a queue already being ordered, the system displays a busy message
and temporarily denies order access to the queue.
If a queue is mistakenly left order locked, it is considered to be in a busy
state. You must unbusy the queue from the console before anyone can
order it. See “Unbusy Stories and Queues” on page 149 for more
information.
Production Lock
A Production lock is similar to an Order lock in that it prevents multiple
users from changing the order of a queue simultaneously. The difference is
that a Production lock is manually applied to a queue by a user. Also, a
queue will retain a Production lock until the user unlocks it.
To remove a Production lock from an iNEWS Workstation:

Select Tools > Production Lock. A check mark appearing next to the
Production Lock menu option indicates whether the lock in place.

Navigate to another queue. Production Lock is disabled automatically.

If a queue is mistakenly left with a Production lock, it is considered to be in
a busy state. You must unbusy the queue from the console before anyone
can order it.

Unbusy Stories and Queues
Whenever a story or queue cannot be unlocked from a workstation, you
can remove the locks by going to the console and using the unbusy
command.

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Chapter 5 Stories Queues, and Directories

Always ensure a lock is invalid first. Determine whether the edit or
order lock is not the result of someone actually editing a story or
ordering a queue. Unbusying a story or queue currently in use can
cause serious problems.
To unbusy a story or queue at the console:

1. Type the unbusy command
2. Follow it (on the same line) with the name of the locked queue or the
queue that contains the locked story. For instance, if a locked story was
in SHOW.SCRIPTS or that queue was order-locked, unbusy it by
typing:
unbusy show.scripts

3. Press Enter.
One of the following will happen:
•

The unbusy command checks the queue for an Order/Production
lock. If it finds one, the console displays the following prompt:

‘shoe.scripts’ Production locked by news from terminal
607 at 2004-02-28 17:51:46
User news no longer logged in at terminal 607 - Unlock?
(n/y/q)

To unbusy the queue, type y; otherwise, type n.

Do not remove an order lock that you have not already determined is
invalid.
•

150

The unbusy command checks for an edit-locked story in the queue.
If it finds one, it checks the workstation where the story was last
edited. If anyone is logged in at that workstation, the console
displays the story’s form and prompts you to check with the person
who is logged in at that workstation. For instance, if the story,

Locking and Unlocking

Shootout, was last edited at workstation 11 and user, Smith, is
currently logged in at workstation 11, the console displays the
following:
WORKSTATION TAKE FROM MOVED STATUS TIME
shootout 03-30 3044 APv1al--hr Fri Apr 26 17:37 READY 0:47
did you check with smith who is at workstation 11 ?
workstation(11) unbusy ? (n/y/q)

To unbusy the story, type y, which will remove the edit lock.
Otherwise, type q to quit.

If a story is unbusied at the console while a user is editing it, when the
user tries to save the story, the story is saved to the Dead queue, and
the user gets an error message that states:
Story save failed: Error: Story saved to dead.

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Chapter 5 Stories Queues, and Directories

152

Chapter 6
Groups
This chapter explains how to create groups in iNEWS and use the system’s
group-related features to customize system usage. In some cases you will
use the console, while in other cases, you can complete modifications from
the iNEWS Workstation. When possible, procedures are explained using
the workstation, but some can also be accomplished at the console, with
extensive use of the gtraits command. This command is similar to the
utraits command and the dbtraits command. All three commands are
explained in Appendix G. This chapter also covers viewing and modifying
information in the SYSTEM.GROUPS queue at the iNEWS Workstation
and /site/system file at the console.
Topics covered in this chapter include:
•

Overview

•

Viewing Group Information

•

Creating a New Group

•

Group Checker

•

Renaming a Group and Deleting a Group

•

Creating or Modifying Multiple Groups

•

Adding Members to an Existing Group

•

Group Access and Usage Restrictions

•

Group Traits for the Database

•

Mail Aliases

Chapter 6 Groups

Overview
The iNEWS newsroom computer system lets you categorize users by
placing accounts belonging to people with similar needs into the same
group. Organizing users in this way enables you to more easily customize
your system to suit individual and small group needs. It also enables you to
apply security restrictions at the group level.
For instance, you can:
•

Restrict access to a particular queue so that only members of a certain
group can use it

•

Have the system notify a group of users when changes are made to a
queue in which they are interested

•

Send mail to a group name and have the system take care of the task of
sending the mail to each individual in the group

You can create as many as 250 groups, and you can assign an unlimited
number of users to each group.

Viewing Group Information
From the Console...
At the console, various versions of the gtraits command are used for
viewing and modifying group information. You must be a console
superuser before using any form of this command, as indicated by the
below prompt, NRCS-A#. See “The Console Superuser” on page 23 for
more information.
To get information for a list of all groups in the iNEWS database:

Type: NRCS-A# gtraits list-

To get a list of all the members of a particular group, such as
producers:

t
154

Type: NRCS-A# gtraits list producers

Viewing Group Information

To get a list of all groups a particular user belongs to:

Type the command followed by the user’s ID, such as:
NRCS-A# gtraits list danielmi

Sometimes, for security reasons, groups are assigned as group traits to
directories and queues in the database. This information can be viewed
from the console by using the list d-v console command, which lists each
queue’s assigned read, write, and notification groups.
To list group information for a specific queue, use this format:
list d-g

To list all queues in the database that have a particular group assigned as
their read, write, or notification group, use this format:
list rwng= d

All of the gtraits list variants can be produced using list g.

From a Workstation...
You can also view group membership and group assignment information
from an iNEWS Workstation. However, since groups are created at the
console, the information you receive can potentially be out of sync with the
information that is actually in the database. Therefore, use this method as a
quick way to get information that you recognize may require verification at
the console.
To view information about group memberships from a workstation:

1. Locate the SYSTEM.GROUPS queue in the Directory panel.
2. Double-click the Groups queue to open it.
The Queue panel contains a list of the names of the existing groups
with the first group name selected. The members of the group appear
in the Story panel.
3. To view the contents of different groups, do one of the following:
t

Use the mouse to click a different group listed in the Queue panel.

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Chapter 6 Groups

Use the Up or Down arrow keys or the scroll bar on the right side
of the Queue panel to move to another group.

Use Page Up or Page Down keys to scroll several groups (up or
down) in the list at a time.

To view what group is assigned to a queue or directory for read and
write access, or for notification purposes, do the following from a
workstation:

1. Locate the queue or directory you want to know about in the Directory
panel.
2. Right-click on the queue or directory.
3. Select Properties from the pop-up menu. The Queue/Directory
Properties dialog box will appear.
4. Select the Groups tab. See “Groups Tab” on page 129 for more
information.

Creating a New Group
Creating a new group is a three-step process:

•

Step 1 - Choosing a Group Name

•

Step 2 - Create New Group at Console

•

Step 3 - Specifying Members of a New Group

The first part of the procedure must be done at the console. The last is done
at the iNEWS Workstation.

Step 1 - Choosing a Group Name
Before you actually create a new group, you need to decide on the name of
the group. To choose a group name, follow these guidelines:

156

•

Group names cannot be more than 20 characters long and cannot
contain spaces. A group name longer than 20 characters will be
truncated to 20 characters.

•

You cannot use a name already used as someone’s User ID.

Creating a New Group

•

Some words are reserved by the system for special purposes, and
cannot be used as names for groups. These words—which include:
alias, all, group, and restricted—are defined in the Words dictionary as
W_ALIAS, W_ALL, W_GROUP, and W_RESTRICTED, respectively.

•

Choose a name that indicates the purpose or general makeup of the
group, for instance, you may want to call the group that includes all
your producers by the name “producers.”

View the list of groups in the SYSTEM.GROUPS queue to ensure the name
you select is not being used for another group. If an existing group already
uses a name, determine whether its members are the same as those users
you want to assign to your group. The existing group may represent these
users, so you can use it instead of creating a new one.

Step 2 - Create New Group at Console
To enter the new group name in the iNEWS database:

1. Verify that the new group name is not already used by typing the
following kind of command at the console:
NRCS-A# gtraits list fieldreporters
fieldreporters is not a user or group name

In the example, the system response indicates that fieldreporters is not
currently a group name. You should receive a similar response before
proceeding.
2. Use gtraits add to create the new group name in the system.
NRCS-A# gtraits add fieldreporters
Added group fieldreporters

Step 3 - Specifying Members of a New Group
To specify members of the new group at an iNEWS Workstation:

1. Open the System folder from the Directory panel.
2. Open the Groups queue.
3. Do one of the following:
t

Select File > New Story.
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Chapter 6 Groups

Press the Insert key.

In the Queue panel, a blank row appears in the group list, and a blank
story appears in the Story panel.

When your iNEWS newsroom computer system was installed, membership
lists for several groups common to newsrooms were placed in the Groups
queue. To make it easy to maintain, each list was placed in a separate
story. Continue this convention to organize groups. You can put more than
one group’s membership list (or all of them) in a single story.
4. Type the name of the group, such as fieldreporters, in the Title (Slug)
field of the Queue panel or in the corresponding field of the Story
Form panel.
5. Press Enter.
6. Click inside the Story Text panel and type the group name and
membership list in this format:
group fieldreporters
user-ID user-ID . . .
user-ID user-ID . . .
. . .

7. Select File > Save Story.
This procedure creates a story, stored in SYSTEM.GROUPS, that bears the
group name and contains the membership list for that group. The system
will refer to the story anytime its group is applied to security measures or
other system features.

Group Checker
When you save your changes to a group, the system automatically runs the
server program known as the group checker, which looks for errors in the
stories in SYSTEM.GROUPS.
The group checker may also be run manually from the console by typing
the command, grpcheck, using the following format:
grpcheck [-v[v]]

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Group Checker

For instance, to manually start the group checker to check group
membership lists in the database, type: grpcheck -v system.groups
The group checker may take a minute or two to process. When it finishes,
the system sends you one or more messages describing the results. The
system alerts you to the fact that you have received a message by an audio
tone and a flashing Message bar button in the menu bar.
Click the Message bar button to read the messages from the group checker.
The name, grpcheck, appears in the From field. The messages appear in the
Message field.
If the group checker finds no errors in the story you have created to list the
members of the new group, you get a GROUPS story OK message.

History button

From field

Message field

Message bar button

If the group checker finds an error, it sends a message indicating the story
and the line in that story in which the error occurs. For a complete list of
group checker messages, see “Group Checker Error Messages” on
page 160.
In some cases, multiple errors are discovered, resulting in several error
messages.
To display the entire list of error messages sent to you, do one of the
following:

Click the History button.

Select Communicate > Messages > Show History.

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You can also copy or paste the contents of the group checker messages to
another file.
If the errors are not serious, the last message is GROUPS story accepted,
with errors. The group checker applies changes that were not in error.
If there are serious errors, the last message is GROUPS story NOT Ok,
indicating that the group checker could not use any changes because of
errors.
The group checker examines whatever work you just completed along with
everything else in SYSTEM.GROUPS. This means that if some of the error
messages you see are not related to your changes, they are possibly the
result of changes another user made in a different story in
SYSTEM.GROUPS.

Group Checker Error Messages
The following is an alphabetical listing of error messages you may see
when you create or edit group membership lists or alias definitions. The
group checker usually takes a minute or two to completely process the
stories in SYSTEM.GROUPS and report any error messages.
Bad workstation device specification

You did not enter a workstation’s device number or device name
correctly. Usually, this happens because you did not use a closing
brace (}) in the declaration.
Cannot open default aliases file

The group checker could not open an internal file that it uses to check
alias entries. Call Avid Customer Support.
Cannot open new aliases file

The group checker could not create a new aliases file to reflect the
changes you made. Call Avid Customer Support.
Cannot save old aliases file

An internal error occurred. Call Avid Customer Support.
Duplicate group or alias name

You tried to create two groups or aliases with the same name.

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Failed to open queue

Due to an internal error, the group checker was unable to open
SYSTEM.GROUPS. Call Avid Customer Support.
Failed to open story

Due to an internal error, the group checker was unable to open one of
the stories in SYSTEM.GROUPS. Call Avid Customer Support.
Group or alias word missing. Skipping text

You did not begin a mail alias definition with the word, alias, or a
group membership list with the word, ‘group’. This is followed by the
line number where the group checker expected to find ‘alias’ or
‘group’. The W_GROUP and W_ALIAS dictionary tokens define what
words, such as ‘alias’ or ‘group’, are used by the group checker. The
tokens may be customized in the /site/dict directory on the
iNEWS Server.
GROUPS story accepted, with errors

Errors appear in the group story, but none are serious. The group
checker will use the entries that do not have errors. The entries that
have errors are ignored.
GROUPS story NOT OK

Serious errors appear in the group story, and the group checker cannot
use it.
GROUPS story OK

There are no problems with the group story.
Ignoring words following alias name

Any words you include on the same line after the name of the alias you
are defining are ignored.
Ignoring words following group name

Any words you include on the same line after the name of the group
you are defining are ignored.
Improper use of reserved word

You cannot use a reserved word, such as ‘alias’ and ‘group’, as a group
or alias name.

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Internal groupchecker error

Some undefined error occurred while the group checker was running.
Call Avid Customer Support.
Invalid name follows word “alias”

The name of the alias is invalid, such as being too long. Check the alias
and remove or correct the user name.
Invalid name follows word “group”

The name of the group is invalid, such as being too long. Check the
group’s membership list and remove or correct the user name.
More than 50,000 alias names created

The system created many pseudo-alias names to break up individual
aliases into lists of 1000 characters or less. Call Avid Customer
Support.
Missing alias name

You did not follow the word, alias, with the name you want the alias to
have.
Missing group name

You did not follow the word, group, with the name of a group.
Name already used as alias name

You created a group with the same name as an alias already defined in
the story or queue.
Name already used as group name

You created an alias with the same name as a group already defined in
the story or queue.
No groups or aliases found

All stories in SYSTEM.GROUPS are empty—they contain no aliases
or groups.
Not a workstation device

You included something in braces ({ }) that is not a workstation device
name or number. The message is followed by the name you tried to
include as a workstation.

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Renaming a Group

Not a user or workstation

You defined something that is not a recognized user or workstation as a
member of a group.
Recursive group membership

You defined a membership list that created a recursion error. See
“Group Access and Usage Restrictions” on page 171 for more
information.
User name used as group or alias name

You cannot give a group or an alias the same name as an existing user.

Renaming a Group
To rename a group in the iNEWS newsroom computer system, you must
complete two steps:
•

Step 1 - Change Group Name in System

•

Step 2 - Change Group Name in SYSTEM.GROUPS

Step 1 - Change Group Name in System
To change the group name in the system’s database, do the following
at the console:

Type the gtraits r command, which has this syntax:
gtraits

For instance, to change the group name “producers” to
“5pmproducers,” type:
NRCS-A# gtraits r producers 5pmproducers
Renamed producers to 5pmproducers.

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Step 2 - Change Group Name in SYSTEM.GROUPS
To change the name in the membership list story:

1. Locate the group’s membership list story in SYSTEM.GROUPS.
2. Modify the name of the group, which appears in the the title field of
the queue and story form, and on the first line of the story.
3. Change the group name if it appears as a member in any other
membership lists.

If you do not do step 3, the next time you make a change in that story, the
group checker warns you that the membership list uses an invalid group
name. See “Group Checker” on page 158 for more information.

Deleting a Group
To delete a group in the system:

1. Delete the name in the system’s database at the console using the
gtraits d command, which has this syntax:
gtraits d

For instance, to delete the group “5pmproducers”, type:
NRCS-A# gtraits d 5pmproducers
Marked 5pmproducers for deletion.

This first step is a two-stage process. The gtraits command you type
marks the group for deletion. The group is actually deleted the next
time the system runs the dbpurge process, which it does at 15 minutes
past every hour.

You cannot use any gtraits commands on a group that is marked for
deletion but still waiting to be deleted.
2. Delete the group name and its membership list story in
SYSTEM.GROUPS.
3. Delete the group name if it appears as a member in any other
membership lists.

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Creating or Modifying Multiple Groups

If you do not do step 2, the next time you make a change in the queue, the
group checker spots the deleted group’s membership list and warns you
that it uses an invalid group name. If you do not do step 3, the next time you
make a change in that membership list story, the group checker warns you
that the membership list uses an invalid group name. See “Group
Checker” on page 158 for more information.

Creating or Modifying Multiple Groups
The gtraits console command has an interactive mode in which you can
execute group-related commands without entering gtraits each time. Use
this mode when there are a number of gtraits commands you want to enter
in succession.
To enter the gtraits interactive mode:

1. Become a superuser. See “The Console Superuser” on page 23 for
more information.
2. Type:
NRCS-A# gtraits i
>

The command replaces the normal system prompt with an angle
bracket (>) to indicate that you are in interactive mode. At this prompt,
you can enter any gtraits command, such as changegroup or add,
without typing the gtraits command for each operation.
For instance, to add the group “5pmproducers”, type:
> add 5pmproducers

If you were not in interactive mode, the entire command line would be
required, such as: gtraits add 5pmproducers.
3. Type quit or q to leave interactive mode.

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Adding Members to an Existing Group
There are three possibilities for membership in a group. For instance, an
individual user can be a member of a group, one group can be a member of
another group (making all the users of the first group members of the
second), and a workstation can be a member of a group.

Users as Members of a Group
You must be at an iNEWS Workstation to change group membership.
To add individual users to an existing group:

1. Open the System folder from the Directory panel.
2. Open the Groups queue.
3. Locate the story or stories in your SYSTEM.GROUPS queue
containing the group membership list you want to add or modify.
4. Open that story in the Story panel.
5. Type in the user ID(s) you want to add to the group.
6. Select File > Save Story.
7. Verify the approval of the story from the messages sent to you from the
system’s group checker server program.

Groups as Members of Other Groups
In addition to adding individual users to groups, you can add an entire
group to another group. The members of the first group become members
of the second group. The order in which you define groups in your
SYSTEM.GROUPS queue is not important; however, care should be taken
to avoid recursion.
Avoiding Recursion
When you make groups members of other groups, do not create a
membership list that contains a circular reference, also called recursion.
The following is an explanation of recursion in a membership list.
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Adding Members to an Existing Group

When the group checker examines a group’s membership list story, it
builds an internal list of the group’s members. If one member is the name
of another group, the group checker must determine the members of the
second group and add them to the first group’s internal membership list.
For instance, in the following diagram, Group B is a member of Group A.
When the group checker evaluates the membership list for Group A, it
creates an internal membership list for Group A that contains users
Fujitano, Clancy, Meyer, Rosario, Chen, Reyes, and Smith. This example
is not recursive and causes no problems for the group checker.
Gr oup A

Gr oup B

Fujitano

Rosa rio

Clancy
B

Che n
Reyes

Me yer

Sm ith

Recursion occurs when the group checker cannot resolve memberships
because one group in the chain refers to another group higher up in the
chain. For instance, a case of recursion would occur if Group B is a
member of Group A, but Group A is also a member of Group B.
Gr oup A

Gr oup B

Fujitano
Clancy
B
Meyer

Rosario
Chen
A
Smith

The group checker cannot create internal membership lists for these
groups. When it evaluates Group A, it sees that Group B belongs to Group
A and tries to add B group’s members to A group’s internal list. However,
one of the Group B members is Group A, which the group checker has still
not resolved. The group checker cannot proceed.
If you see a recursion error message, examine your membership lists for
incidents like this and remove the recursive reference. In the previous
example, either remove Group B from the membership list for Group A or
Group A from the membership list for Group B.

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To check for recursion at the console:

Type: NRCS-A# grpcheck -v system.groups

The group checker displays the title of the story in which it finds an error
and a description of the error. For instance, after typing the grpcheck -v
command, the following output shows a story with the title group_249 that
has recursive entries in its membership list:
grpcheck: 09:09:13 [CONSOLE] [group_249] Recursive group membership
a->b->a
grpcheck: 09:09:13 [CONSOLE] [group_249] GROUPS story NOT OK

Workstations as Members of Groups
Suppose you have a workstation that is used by several staff members, all
of whom are producers. When they use this workstation, they need access
to the queues that members of the producers group normally have access
to. When they are using other workstations, they do not need the special
producer privileges.
You can grant the producer workstation the security permissions granted to
the producer group by adding its session number as a member to the group
called producers in SYSTEM.GROUPS.
When a user logs in at a workstation, the system ordinarily combines any
system permissions the user already has with permissions the workstation
may have. For instance, a user belonging to the writers group who logs in
at a workstation assigned to the producers group would have access to
directories and queues accessible to both groups.
System permissions that apply to workstations are assigned using the
security parameter that is set in the /site/system file. The security
parameter in this file is either OR or AND. OR security uses the security
level set for either the user or the workstation. AND security uses the
security level set for both the user and the workstation. For more
information on how to edit the /site/system file, see Chapter 10,
“System Configuration Files”.

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Adding Members to an Existing Group

A workstation can only be used as a member of a group if that PC is
assigned a dedicated session in the iNEWS configuration file. For instance,
an iNEWS Workstation, identified as 319, is assigned a certain group
membership. Its configuration line appears with a specified session
number, but is not dedicated to any particular PC, as shown:
inws

319

gnews ;nondedicated

The session, 319, is nondedicated, meaning that any PC in the newsroom
may be logged in on session 319, and therefore view whatever area is
restricted to the group 319 is assigned to. To restrict a queue or directory to
a specific workstation, such as 319, then in addition to adding that
workstation’s session number to the group’s membership, the line in the
configuration file must be dedicated to a specific PC’s IP address.
inws

319 192-168-20-136 0

gnews ;nondedicated

Using session numbers in groups will provide proper security only if
you have dedicated resources locking down specific PCs to specific
resources in the configuration file. This requires that PCs have set IP
addresses and would not work in a DHCP environment, where a PC
may not always receive the same IP address. See “Group Access and
Usage Restrictions” on page 171 for more information.

Combining Permissions
Combining group and workstation permissions enables you to choose to
apply additional security to your system, or less security:
•

For additional security, you can specify that users at a particular
workstation have membership in both human and workstation groups
to perform certain actions.

•

For less security, you can force the system to check only whether a
user at a particular workstation is a member of either the human or the
workstation group.

Being More Restrictive

To be more restrictive about the permissions granted to users, include the
security parameter in your system profile and assign it the value “and.”

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For instance, you may use this security level for read permissions on a
queue that should be read only by producers that are both members of the
producers group and are sitting at the producers workstation.
Being Less Restrictive

Omitting the security parameter from the system profile or assigning it a
value of “or” indicates that a user on a workstation is considered to be in a
certain group if either the user or the workstation is a member of the target
group.
Setting an Automatic Timeout
Either type of security described previously works well only if users log
out from their workstations when they leave their desks. Otherwise, anyone
with access to the workstation where a user logged in can take advantage
of that user’s or workstation’s permissions.
To prevent this, you can set your workstations to automatically log out
after a certain period of inactivity.
To do that, you need to edit one or more special timeout parameters in the
system profile—that is, the /site/system file—at the console. See
Chapter 10, “System Configuration Files” for more information on how to
edit the /site/system file.
There are two types of timeout parameters:
•

Idle timeout

•

Modifying Idle Timeout

The most useful kind of automatic timeout is the idle timeout, which logs
out a workstation if no activity has taken place on it in a specified length of
time.
To change this value for local workstations (those that are most likely
within the newsroom), modify the localtimeout value in /site/system.

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To set the idle timeout value for dial-up workstations, modify the
remotetimeout value in /site/system.
Modifying Login Timeout

You can set certain types of workstations to disconnect a user who does not
log in within a certain length of time. For network workstations and DOS
PCs, modify the netlogintimeout value in /site/system.
To set this parameter for dialup workstations, modify the logintimeout
value in /site/system.
Timeout Value Settings and Format

All four timeout parameters accept values in the mmm:ss (minutes and seconds) format. The following table lists the parameters, the types of workstations they affect, and their maximum and default values.
Parameter

Workstation types

Maximum

Default

localtimeout

Serial, network, PCs

540:00

00:00*

remotetimeout

Dial-up (line devices
and connect sessions)

540:00

00:00*

Disables timeouts

Group Access and Usage Restrictions
The iNEWS newsroom computer system is designed to be used by a large
group of people, ranging from temporary writer interns to technical
producers. To ensure the correct level of security on a system that is
accommodating such a wide range of capabilities and responsibilities,
restrict access to sensitive areas of the database to people with a need to
access the information.

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The iNEWS newsroom computer system has security features that let you
provide these kind of access restrictions. For instance, you can assign
groups to a queue as a read and/or write group trait. By doing so, you can
control which users can read and/or write stories in that queue.

If you do not assign groups to a directory or queue as read and write
group traits, the directory or queue is available to all users.

Access and Usage Examples
Here are some other examples of how access is modified based on group
trait assignments:
•

If a user’s ID does not appear in the group(s) assigned as both read and
write group traits for a queue, a user will be unable to create a story in
that queue. In other words, the user will not have read and write
permission to that queue.

•

A user also needs both read and write permission to lock or unlock a
queue.

•

A user who has only write permission to a queue can copy or move a
story into that queue; however, without read permission, the user will
be unable to see the queue and its contents in the Directory panel.

•

It is possible to change a directory’s read or write group, and thereby
modify the read-and-write permissions for all the stories in all the
queues in that directory.

•

Stories that you move or duplicate into a queue whose general trait is
turned on, retain their original security. For instance, the Dead queue
usually has this trait turned on so that stories moved there retain the
read-and-write restrictions from their original queues.

Group Traits for the Database
There are four group traits that can be assigned to queues and directories in
the database:
•

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General

Group Traits for the Database

•

Read Group

•

Write Group

•

Notify Group

You must be a system administrator—that is, logged in with a superuser
account—or know the database manager password to modify any trait in
the Directory/Queue Properties dialog box. See “Directory/Queue
Properties Dialog Box” on page 121 for more information..
All four of the group traits can be assigned at the console and the iNEWS
Workstation. For procedures at the console, see “Groups” on page 793 for
more information. Procedures at the workstation, using the Groups tab in
the Directory/Queue Properties dialog box, are covered in this chapter.

The General trait, when applied to a queue, means that stories moved to the
queue will retain their original security restrictions, as set by the read and
write group traits. This will prevent any unintentional accessibility to
stories that are moved from a highly secure queue to one that is widely
accessible to users.
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The other three group traits (Read, Write, and Notify) restrict who can read
or write stories in a queue and indicate who is notified when stories are
changed in it. Each of these group traits is explained in the following
sections. See “Groups Tab” on page 129 for more information.

The General trait would normally be assigned to the Dead queue.
When a group assignment on a queue is changed from the GUI, the group
security assigned to the stories in the queue is changed and the system
automatically re-applies the security change to each individual story. If
there are many stories in the queue, the client will apear to hang while the
new security setting is adjusted for each story and control will not be
returned to the user until it is done.

If the queue has the General trait, changing the group security on the
queue does NOT change the security assignment on the pre-existing stories
created under the old group assignment.

Read Group
A directory or queue’s read group specifies who can read stories in the
queue. Users who are not in the read group for the directory or queue
cannot see the directory or queue in the file structure displayed in the
Directory panel.
To assign a group as a read group to a queue or directory:

1. Locate the directory or queue you want to modify in the Directory
panel.
2. Open the Directory/Queue Properties dialog box by right-clicking on
the folder or queue in the Directory panel and selecting Properties
from the pop-up menu.
3. Select the Groups tab.
4. Select a group from the Read Group drop-down list. Only groups that
are already created in the system database will appear in the list. When
! is selected, no group is applied; therefore, all users will
have read access to the queue or directory.
5. Click OK to save settings.
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To remove a group as a read group from a queue or directory:

1. Locate the directory or queue you want to modify in the Directory
panel.
2. Open the Directory/Queue Properties dialog box by right-clicking on
the folder or queue in the Directory panel and selecting Properties
from the pop-up menu.
3. Select the Groups tab.
4. Select ! from the Read Group drop-down list. When
! is selected, no group is applied; therefore, all users will
have read access to the queue or directory.
5. Click OK to save settings.

Write Group
A queue’s write group specifies who can add or modify stories in the
queue.

Users cannot kill stories if they are not in the write group for the Dead
queue.
To assign a group as a write group to a queue or directory:

1. Locate the directory or queue you want to modify in the Directory
panel.
2. Open the Directory/Queue Properties dialog box by right-clicking on
the folder or queue in the Directory panel and selecting Properties
from the pop-up menu.
3. Select the Groups tab.
4. Select a group from the Write Group drop-down list. Only groups that
are already created in the system database will appear in the list.
5. Click OK to save settings.

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To remove a group as a write group from a queue or directory:

1. Locate the directory or queue you want to modify in the Directory
panel.
2. Open the Directory/Queue Properties dialog box by right-clicking on
the folder or queue in the Directory panel and selecting Properties
from the pop-up menu.
3. Select the Groups tab.
4. Select ! from the Write Group drop-down list. When
! is selected, no group is applied; therefore, all users will
have write access to the queue or directory.
5. Click OK to save settings.

Notification Group
A queue’s notification group specifies which users are notified whenever
stories are added to or modified in the queue.
To assign a group as a notify group to a queue or directory:

1. Locate the directory or queue you want to modify in the Directory
panel.
2. Open the Directory/Queue Properties dialog box by right-clicking on
the folder or queue in the Directory panel and selecting Properties
from the pop-up menu.
3. Select the Groups tab.
4. Select a group from the Notify Group drop-down list. Only groups that
are already created in the system database will appear in the list.
5. Click OK to save settings.
To remove a group as a notification group from a queue or directory:

Group Traits for the Database

3. Select the Groups tab.
4. Select ! from the Notify Group drop-down list. When
! is selected, no group is applied; therefore, no users will be
notified whenever modifications are made to the queue or directory.
Click OK to save settings.

Restricted Group
Members of the restricted group are prevented from accessing directories
and queues that have no group traits assigned. For instance, if you set a
queue’s Read and Write group settings—located on the Groups tab of the
Directory/Queue Properties dialog box—to !, then that queue has
no Read or Write group assigned; therefore, a member of the restricted
group will not be able to see or write to that queue. The restricted group is
commonly used at sites for temporary users. The system administrator can
assign a temporary user to the restricted group and then to a limited set of
specific groups. That user is then restricted to only those directories and
queues that have those specific groups.

Restricting Both Reading and Writing
You may need to restrict a queue so that one group of users can read and
write in that queue, while another group can only read stories.
Suppose you want to restrict your Assignments directory. In most systems,
a few people—mostly those at the assignments desk—need write
permission to this directory. A larger number of users, such as writers and
reporters, need to read, but not edit, stories in the Assignments directory.
The people who should have read-and-write permission for the
Assignments directory come from different areas of the newsroom, so it is
unlikely a group exists with just those users. However, you could set it up
like this:

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1. Create a group called assignments to represent users who need write
permission for the Assignments directory.
2. Similarly, create a group called staff to represent users who need read
permission.
3. Assign the staff group to the directory’s read group trait and the
assignments group to the directory’s write group trait.

Transferring Group Assignments
You may need to locate every instance where a particular group is assigned
to a directory or queue and change that assignment so that another group is
assigned to that directory or queue. Use this form of the gtraits console
command:
gtraits

transfer current-group-name new-group-name

Groups are marked for transfer, but no changes are made to any directories
or queues until dbpurge runs. Both groups that you include in the gtraits
transfer command must already exist.

Hiding Queues and Directories
In addition to restricting access to various queues, you can use group
access and usage restrictions to hide queues or directories by placing a
strict read restriction on them.
A number of queues on your system probably have very tight write
security to ensure that only certain users can create and edit stories in those
queues. If other users do not need to read the stories in the queue, you may
give the queue tight read security. This prevents the queue from appearing
on unauthorized users’ screens. Some examples of this are the Dead queue,
a Suggestions queue, an Employee Evaluations queue, and so forth.

178

All users that you want to have the capability to send stories to these
queues need to have write access to the queue, but not necessarily read
access. For instance, all users will need write access to the Dead queue so

Mail Aliases

they can delete stories in other queues, which then moves them to the Dead
queue. But you can limit who has access to the Dead queue by using the
read group trait to restrict access to a certain group of users.
Another example is the System directory, which is usually restricted so that
only superusers can write stories there. You can hide this directory so that
it does not appear in the main directory for normal users by setting its read
group to a group that has no users. Because superusers can read everything
in the database, they can still see the directory.
Many put the system
administrator’s name in
the sysop group for email purposes.

For this example, your system could use an empty group called sysop,
which is then assigned as the read group trait for the System directory.
To set the System directory’s read group to sysop:

1. Locate the directory or queue you want to modify in the Directory
panel.
2. Open the Directory/Queue Properties dialog box by right-clicking on
the folder or queue in the Directory panel and selecting Properties
from the pop-up menu.
3. Select the Groups tab.
4. Select the sysop group from the Read Group drop-down list. If it does
not appear in the list, it has not been created in the system database.
See “Creating a New Group” on page 156 for more information.
5. Click OK to save settings.

Mail Aliases
Some groups already in your system probably represent collections of
people to whom you or other users want to send mail. For instance, you
may want to send mail to all the producers in your newsroom. Producers
probably already exist as a group in your system, and the mail system can
use the producers group membership information to direct the mail to the
right people.

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You may also want to send mail to a group like the entire staff of your
5 p.m. newscast. That group may not already exist, and the need for such a
group may be related solely to mail delivery and not system security.
If you have such a need, do not create a group solely to meet the mail
delivery objective. Use a mail alias, instead.

Creating a Mail Alias
A mail alias is a name up to 20 characters long that represents a group of
people who often receive similar mail. Each mail alias acts like a
distribution list. This way, instead of sending mail to each user
individually, you can send mail to the alias and the mail server distributes a
copy of the mail story to each user on the group’s membership list.
Like groups, mail aliases are defined in stories in the Groups queue in the
System directory.

You can have an unlimited number of aliases, but only 250 groups. Groups
should primarily be used for security purposes; Aliases are not used for
security purposes, only for mail delivery.
To create a mail alias, do the following at an iNEWS Workstation:

1. Open the System folder in the Directory panel.
2. Open the Groups queue.
3. Select File > New Story.
A new blank Story panel appears. In the Queue panel, a blank entry in
outline appears.
4. Type the name of the alias in the blank field of the Queue panel or in
the corresponding title field of the Story Form panel.
5. Click inside the Story panel and type the alias name and membership
list in this format:
alias alias-name
user-ID user-ID group-name …
user-ID alias-name …

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Mail Aliases

An alias’s membership list must begin with the word alias followed
by the name of the alias and one or more lines that list user IDs,
groups, or aliases that you want to include.
6. Select File > Save Story.

While using aliases for mail distribution, the removal of a user’s account
may result in mail bounce back errors if that user’s name remains listed in
SYSTEM.GROUPS stories. Remember to remove users names from stories
in SYSTEM.GROUPS before removing the user accounts from the system.
This will reduce the potential for mail bound back errors.

Mail Aliases for Other Machines or the Internet
You can send mail to a user on another system connected to your system
over the network. When you put a network mail address in a mail story’s
TO field, the mail server routes the mail to the correct address, which can
be another machine on your iNEWS system or anywhere on the Internet.
You can make it easier to use network mail addresses by assigning them
mail aliases. Then, when you want to mail to someone who is not on a
system connected to yours, use the mail alias.
To assign a mail alias to a network mail address, do the following at
an iNEWS Workstation:

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Chapter 6 Groups

For instance, to assign the network address jan@kbba_a.bba to a
mail alias called Jan, type:
alias Jan
jan@kbba_a.bba

6. Select File > Save Story.

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Chapter 7
Keyboards and Macros
Macros are time-saving routines you can assign to a key or key
combination on your keyboard, which then can be evoked with one or two
simple keystrokes. A single macro can be the shortcut to an entire
command sequence.
A keyboard is a group of macros (programmable key definitions) that is
stored in a description (story) file in the system directory. Each keyboard
typically contains macros grouped according to specific job or task, such
as a Producer keyboard.
This chapter explains how you can use macros and description files to
customize keyboards within the following sections:
•

Understanding Macros and Keyboards

•

Customizing Workstation Keyboards

•

Creating a Macro

•

Keyboard Checker

•

Assigning a Default Keyboard to a User

Chapter 7 Keyboards and Macros

Understanding Macros and Keyboards
Macros let the user enter multiple characters and commands with a single
key or key combination. You, as the system administrator, determine the
function of each macro key. You can assign any command, sequence of
commands, or plain text to a key or key combination. A set of macros is
called a keyboard because it defines various actions that take place based
on the keys pressed on an actual keyboard. A keyboard is usually created to
contain a set of macros associated with a specific job, such as writer or
producer.
For instance, suppose a writer in your newsroom frequently writes scripts
for a particular reporter. You can assign the text in that reporter’s usual
sign-off to a macro key on the writer’s keyboard. Then the writer could put
the entire text of the reporter’s sign-off in stories by pressing that key. This
same key may be associated with a different macro, such as one that opens
a rundown queue, if the user is a producer using a different keyboard, or set
of macros.
Keyboards in iNEWS are stored in queues in the SYSTEM.KEYBOARDS
directory. See “Customizing Workstation Keyboards” on page 184 for
more information.
You can assign macros to function keys, such as F1, F2, F3, and so forth,
across the top of the keyboard and to the numeric keys on the numeric
keypad, located at the right side of the keyboard. On iNEWS Workstations
you can use other keys known as state keys, such as Control (Ctrl), in
conjunction with the function and numeric keypad keys as shortcuts to
entire command sequences. See “Creating a Macro” on page 187 for more
information.

Customizing Workstation Keyboards
An iNEWS Workstation keyboard can contain more than 100 macros,
representing possible states of the 12 function keys plus the 10 numeric
keypad keys.

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Customizing Workstation Keyboards

For example, possible combinations for F7 are:

Ctrl+Shift+F7

Shift+F7

Alt+Shift+F7

Ctrl+F7

Alt+Ctrl+F7

Alt+F7

Alt+Ctrl+Shift+F7

The iNEWS newsroom computer system will not recognize the Shift state
key used in combination with the numeric keypad keys. For instance,
{Shift-{Ctrl-{kp9}}} is the same as {Ctrl-{kp9}}. If a user
attempts to create a macro with this combination of keys, the system’s
keycheck program will issue an error message: (M_NUMKEYNOSHIFT)
“Shifted numeric keypad 0-9 keys cannot be
assigned.”
The keyboard, or set of macros, is actually a story that is saved in a specific
location in iNEWS. The macros are listed as text in the story. To create a
keyboard containing a set of macros for iNEWS Workstations, you create a
story in one of the queues in the SYSTEM.KEYBOARDS directory.
The first story in the queue with a title containing the string inws, which
is not case-sensitive, is used as the keyboard macro definition story for
iNEWS Workstation.

Creating a New Keyboard Story
To create a new keyboard story:

1. Create a queue to hold the story in SYSTEM.KEYBOARDS. To do this
from the Directory panel:
a. Navigate to SYSTEM.KEYBOARDS and right-click on the folder.
b. Select New Queue.
The queue name must begin with a three-digit number. Append a
hyphen immediately after the number, then a descriptive name for
the keyboard. If the number is less than 100, you must supply
leading zeros.
For instance, to create a new keyboard named Producers, you
could name the queue 005-PRODUCERS.
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Chapter 7 Keyboards and Macros

Queues with the number 256 or greater will not work. The valid
numerical range for queue names is 000-255 as shown in the follow
examples: system.keyboards.000-installation
system.keyboards.255-archivist
You can have at most 250 queues defined in SYSTEM.KEYBOARDS.
Although the numbers 251-255 are valid, you cannot have actual
queues numbered 251-255, since those would exceed the 250 limit on
the number of queues in a single directory.
2. Open the newly created queue. To do this from the Directory panel, do
one of the following:
t

Double-click on the Queue icon

Select the queue and press Enter.

3. Press the Insert key to create a new, blank keyboard story in the queue.
If an existing keyboard story is similar to the new keyboard description
you want to create, you can copy it into the queue and modify it rather
than creating a keyboard story from scratch.

If writing macros for iNEWS Workstation, the story’s slug must contain
inws in it.
4. Create or modify the macros in the keyboard story. See “Creating a
Macro” on page 187 for more information.
5. Save the keyboard story.

186

The “key” mailbox is used by the iNEWS keycheck program, which checks
for errors immediately after a keyboard story is saved. See “Keyboard
Checker” on page 194 for more information. The “key” mailbox must be
set on keyboard queues. The mailbox trait can be viewed and changed from
the Directory Properties dialog box. See “Directory/Queue Properties
Dialog Box” on page 121 and “Maintain Tab” on page 133 for more
information.

Creating a Macro

Creating a Macro
Keyboard macros begin with the “at” symbol (@) and are written in
segments which make up a macro definition. The segments include a Key
Indicator, a Separator symbol (~) , an Action, and an optional Comment.
The segments must appear in the proper order for the macro to work
correctly.
For instance:
The following is an example of a macro definition:
@{f4}~{alt gd}wires.all{enter};Go to wires.all

This macro allows the user to press F4 to navigate to the WIRES.ALL
queue rather than completing the longer process—typing Alt+G+D to open
the Destination dialog box, then typing WIRES.ALL, and pressing
Enter—to do the same thing.
The segments of the sample macro definition are explained below:
Macro segment

Function

@{f4}

The Key Indicator begins the macro definition line with
the @ symbol. Then, {f4} indicates that the macro is
invoked when a user presses and releases the key(s)
defined within the braces—in this case, the F4 key. The
braces { } are used to group letters together as one key
or combination of keys.

The Separator is the tilde character (~) and it divides the
key you are defining from the action that the macro is to
perform.

{alt
gd}wires.all{enter}

The Action includes a series of keystroke combinations.
{alt gd} presses Alt, then types gd (for the Go,
Destination drop-down menu options), and releases Alt.
Then wires.all is typed in the text field in the
Destination dialog box. And {enter} presses the Enter key
and releases it.

;Go to wires.all

The optional Comment begins with the ; and provides a
description of what the macro does.
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Chapter 7 Keyboards and Macros

Adding Comments
Do not use the semicolon character in a macro. If you include a semicolon
(;) in a description line in iNEWS, everything following that character is
treated as a comment by the system and is ignored.
A keyboard macro in iNEWS NRCS can be as long as you want. All text
that appears with an “at” symbol (@) at the start of a paragraph through to
the end of that paragraph is considered to be part of a macro (except for
comments as indicated by a semicolon).
If you create a macro longer than 80 characters, let the system wrap the
cursor around to the next line. When you finish the macro, press Enter to
start a new line for another macro. However, be sure that the next line starts
with the @ symbol or a semicolon.

If you end a paragraph and start another paragraph with anything other
than an @ symbol or a semicolon, you will get an error message indicating
an invalid key definition.

Assigning Macros to Keys
Keyboard macros for iNEWS NRCS are written using the key names
which are in the file: /site/dict/keymacros. You can use
alphabetic and numeric keys, and most punctuation marks in a macro.
However, some punctuation marks are reserved for specific functions
within a macro, as shown in this section’s Key Names table.
For instance, because the open brace ({), close brace (}), and tilde (~)
characters have special meanings, you cannot use them as plain text in a
macro. You can use the @ symbol in the action of the macro—to the right
of the Separator, or tilde(~)—but not as plain text on the left-side of the
Separator, where it indicates the start of a new macro definition.
Only certain keys can be defined as indicators for macros. On the iNEWS
Workstation, you can define macros for the function keys, and the numeric
keypad keys, located at the right side of any standard PC keyboard.

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Creating a Macro

To use the numeric keys on the numeric keypad, Num Lock must be off.
In most cases, you can define macros by combining the function or keypad
keys with one or more state keys, such as Alt+F7. The other keys—listed
in the second part of Key Names table as Edit, Arrow, and Miscellaneous
keys—can appear in macros, but cannot have macros assigned to them.
Key Names

Function
Keys

Keypad
Keys

State
Keys

Edit
Keys

Arrow
Keys

Miscellaneous Reserved

kp0

shift

insert

tab

@ (in Indicator)

kp1

ctrl

home

down

backspace

kp2

alt

pageup

left

space

{

kp3

pagedown

right

enter

}

kp4

end

kp5

kp6

kp7

kp8

f10

kp9

;

f11
f12

Predefined System Function Keys
Some function keys have predefined system functions, such as F1, which
opens the iNEWS Online Help System. These keys are provided as
accelerator keys for common user functions.

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Chapter 7 Keyboards and Macros

Redefining these predefined keys is allowed, but is not recommended.
If you save a macro for a key that has a predefined function, the
system displays a warning message stating that a reserved key has
been redefined. See “Warning Messages” on page 197 for more
information.
The following table shows the standard predefined system function keys.

190

Function Key or
Key Combination

Predefined System
Function

Opens the iNEWS Online Help System

Edit a field (or cell) in the Queue panel

Find Next

Alt+F4

Exits the iNEWS program

Ctrl+F4

Closes a workspace

Refreshes display in Queue or Story panel

Ctrl+F5

Discard changes

Toggles between Instruction panel
(production cue) and Story Text panel

Shift+F6

Toggles between Story Text and Story Form
panels

Opens Wire Urgent Workspace (Wire Priority
queue)

Shift+F7

Opens Wire Alert History window

Toggles Message toolbar on and off

Shift+F8

Opens Message History dialog box

Toggles Mail Workspace open and closed

Creating a Macro

State Keys
The Alt, Shift, and Ctrl keys are known as state keys, because their state
affects what happens when another key is pressed. For instance, pressing
F7, Shift+F7, Alt+F7, Alt+Shift+F7, and so on, can execute different
macros.
To include a state key in a macro:

1. Begin with an open brace character ({)to indicate that a key is being
pressed.
2. Follow with the name of the state key, such as Alt.
3. Since a state key does not do anything by itself, enter the name of the
next key pressed along with it. Enclose this key in another set of braces
{ } if it is a function or numeric keypad key, such as F7 or kp1.
4. End with a close brace character (}) to indicate the release of the state
key.

The iNEWS newsroom computer system will not recognize the Shift state
key if used in combination with the numeric keypad keys. For instance,
{Shift-{CTRL-{kp9}}} is the same as {CTRL-{kp9}}
You can use state keys in the Indicator or Action sections of a
macro—either as the indicator for defining the macro key combination or
within the actions that the macro is to carry out. Here is an example:
@{alt{f8}} ~ {alt crl}

In the example, a state key is in the key indicator combination (Alt+F8)
that executes the macro which contains another state key in the macro
action itself (Alt+C+R+L).
Braces are used to group letters that are key names or key-combinations.
For instance, {alt{f8}} is not the same as {alt f8}. In the first
example, the Alt key is held down while the function key, F8, is pressed. In
the second example, the Alt key is held down, while two separate keys, F
and 8, are pressed in sequence.

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Chapter 7 Keyboards and Macros

The following table shows more examples of key combinations and how
they appear in macros. The second combination shows how to write a
macro using multiple state keys combined. It does not matter whether
letters like these are in uppercase or lowercase in macros.
Key Combinations

Macro

Ctrl+kp1

{ctrl{kp1}}

Alt+Shift+F7

{alt{shift{F7}}}

Alt+G+D

{alt gd}

Using Plain Text in Macros
Besides using individual keys and key combinations in a macro definition,
you can also have the macro enter plain text. This could be text you include
in stories often or text that you enter in the fields of a dialog box in
iNEWS. For example:
@{ctrl{f9}}~{space} Roll tape - Sound up full
{space}{enter}

Whenever you include plain text in a macro, all spaces in the text are
preserved. The case (lowercase or uppercase) is preserved as well.

Repeating Macros
If there are actions performed at the workstation that require executing the
same command or series of commands over and over, you can create a
repeating macro that performs this action. Once invoked, a repeating macro
executes at regular intervals until the user presses Ctrl+Break or Escape.
To have a macro in an iNEWS keyboard perform a repeating function,
place the command {repeat} just before the actions you want the macro
to repeat.

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Creating a Macro

As an example, create a macro that makes it easier to browse wires and
assign it to the F4 key. This macro takes the user to WIRES.ALL and then
scrolls down one story at a time. It pauses briefly on each story, so the user
can read the title and decide whether to read the story. The user stops
scrolling by pressing Ctrl+Break or Escape.
To create this repeating macro:

1. Begin the macro by typing @{f4}~ to indicate that it is for the F4 key.
2. After the Separator (~), type {alt gd} wires.all {enter} to
open a window displaying WIRES.ALL.
3. Add the repeating portion of the macro, which moves the user down
one line at a time at regular intervals. Begin by typing {repeat} to
indicate that what follows is repeated. Then type {down} to move the
cursor down one line in the queue.
The range for the
{pause} option is 1
to 60 seconds.

4. Use the {pause} command to make the macro pause a few seconds
on each story. Follow this command with the number of seconds you
want the repeating macro to pause. To make the macro pause two
seconds before repeating, type {pause 2}.
The macro should be one continuous line of text. Otherwise, allow the
computer to wrap the text if it extends beyond screen margins.
The completed macro looks like this:
@{f4}~{alt gd}wires.all{enter}{repeat}{down}
{pause 2}

Notes of Caution for Creating Macros
When creating macros—whether or not they are repeating macros— care
should be taken. First, certain commands should never be used in macros.

Do not use the Duplicate or Kill commands in repeating macros. Doing
so raises the risk of accidentally killing the wrong stories or filling up
the database and causing a “low-on-space” condition.
Secondly, all macros should be created using steps only to a point where
varying options are not a possibility. For instance, a system administrator
wants a macro designed to open a story and type a specific production cue

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Chapter 7 Keyboards and Macros

on a certain line, then save the story and open the next one in the lineup.
The system administrator must keep in mind that the process for editing
stories may vary for each user depending on user preferences or queue
location. In other words, in some cases, a user may start to save a story and
be prompted by a dialog box that requests confirmation. This confirmation
box is a user preference that varies with each user. A similar confirmation
dialog box may appear if a user is opening a story in a read-only queue. So,
any macro must incorporate these possibilities or stop prior to them.
Otherwise, the macro may hang up on an unexpected dialog box.

To immediately stop a macro that is in progress for any reason—including
one hung up on an unexpected dialog box—press the Escape (Esc) key.

Keyboard Checker
Whenever you modify and save macros in a keyboard description story, the
system checks the keyboard and all its macros for problems that may
prevent the macro from working properly. If it finds a problem, it sends
you a message describing the error.

Error messages are prefixed with inws macro #%d. The %d represents
the macro number. Macros are numbered from one (1) at the beginning of
the story. Some of the error messages will include the macro key identifier.
The iNEWS system will also issue a warning if any predefined system
function keys—that is, those keys reserved for iNEWS system
functions—are replaced with a macro. This warning can be ignored if you
want to override the pre-defined system function keys with a macro. See
“Predefined System Function Keys” on page 189 for more information.
As long as you get a Keyboard ok message, the description story can be
used, but go back and fix any noted problems so the keyboard does what it
is supposed to.

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Keyboard Checker

Error Messages
The following table contains a list of messages from the message
dictionary that can appear after you save a keyboard description story.
Error message

Explanation

Duplicate key description
(M_KEYDUP)

You defined the same function key twice in the
story; remove one of the definitions.

First key description does not begin You must use an @ symbol as the first
with @ (M_KEYSTART)
noncomment character in the description story.
Invalid key number (M_KEYRANGE)

You tried to define a function key with a
number that is not supported.

Keyboard description contains too
many characters (M_KEYLONG)

This description story is too long. Shorten the
macros by using command abbreviations, or
deleting macros you do not use.

Keyboard NOT usable

You must fix the errors in this description story
before you can use it.

Keyboard ok

(M_KEYBAD)

(M_KEYOK)

You may use this keyboard, even if it has
errors.

Missing key number separator (~)
(M_KEYSEP)

You must follow the key number of an
extended programmable key with a tilde (~).

Not enough key descriptions
(M_KEYMIN)

You must include lines for all the standard VT
keys. Include only the key’s number on a blank
line, if you don’t want to assign a function to a
standard key.

Warning: a key definition contains a One of your key definitions has a repeating
repeating function (M_KEYREP)
function. If this is not what you want, edit the
description.
Warning: badly placed @ exists in
key definition line (M_KEYFUNKY)

A line in the story contains an @ symbol that is
not the first character in the line or between two
commands. If this is not what you want, edit
the description.

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Chapter 7 Keyboards and Macros

Error message

Explanation

Memory allocation error(M_BADMEMORY) An internal error; contact Avid Technical
Support.

196

Unable to stack keywords
(M_BADSTACK)

An internal error; contact Avid Technical
Support.

Mismatched {} (M_MISMATCH)

The macro does not have paired brackets.

No {} found for reserved word
(M_RESWORD)

A reserved word (key name) was found but was
not enclosed in brackets.

Could not locate }%d (M_NOLOCATE)

Unbalanced { } pairs. Missing a }. The %d
represents the occurrence number of the
expected }.

Circular reference to macro #%d:
(M_REFERENCE)

A circular reference was found in the macro.
The %d represents the macro number of the
reference.

Multiple tildes (~) found
(M_TWOTILDES)

A macro definition cannot contain a tilde (~).

Multiple macro keys: %s %s
(M_TWOTAGS)

An invalid key indicator specified—it contains
two key names. Each %s represents a key
name.

Unexpected: %s (M_UNEXPECTED)

An invalid key indicator specified—it contains
plain text. The %s represents the unexpected
text.

Unknown macro key identifier: %s
(M_UNKNOWN)

An invalid key indicator specified—it contains
a key name that is not one of the recognized
key names. The %s represents the unknown key
name.

No tilde (~) found (M_NOTILDE)

There is no tilde (~) separating the key
indicator from the key action.

No macro key tag (M_NOTAG)

There was no key name included in the key
indicator.

Keyboard Checker

Error message

Explanation

Shifted numeric keypad 0-9 keys
cannot be assigned macros
(M_NUMKEYNOSHIFT)

You cannot assign a macro to a keystroke
combination of Shift and a numeric keypad
key.

Empty macro (M_EMPTY)

There was no key action data in the macro
definition.

Duplicate macro definition: %s
(M_TWODEFS)

There was a duplicate key indicator defined.
The %s represents the key indicator.

Invalid pause interval (M_BADPAUSE)

The interval included in the pause command
was not a number between one and sixty.

Isolated keyboard state:
(M_LONESTATE)

A state key (Alt, Shift, or Ctrl) was specified
but did not modify the action of any other key,
such as: {shift} instead of {shift abc}

%s does not distribute
(M_DISTRIBUTE)

A non-state key (not Alt, Shift, or Ctrl) was
found while another key was still depressed,
such as: {insert{home}}. The %s represents the
key still depressed.

Ignoring: %s (M_IGNORING)

The state of a macro definition was expected
but did not begin with an at character (@). All
of the text is being ignored. The %s represents
the text being ignored.

Warning Messages
The following table lists the messages that appear if the keys reserved for
iNEWS system functions are redefined.
Reserved key

Warning message

Warning: “Help” key redefined (M_STDHELP)

Warning: “Find Next” key redefined (M_STDFINDNEXT)

Alt-F4

Warning: “Exit” key redefined (M_STDEXIT)

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Chapter 7 Keyboards and Macros

Reserved key

Warning message (Continued)

CTRL-F4

Warning: “Window Close” key redefined (M_STDCLOSE)

CTRL-F5

Warning: “Discard Changes” key redefined
(M_STDDISCARD)

Warning: “Refresh” key redefined (M_STDREFRESH)

Warning: “Script Swap” key redefined (M_STDSCRIPT)

Warning: “GoTo Priority Queue” key redefined
(M_STDPRIORITYQUEUE)

Shift-F7

Warning: “GoTo Alerts History” key redefined
(M_STDALERTSHISTORY)

Warning: “Communicate Message Bar” key redefined
(M_STDMESSAGEBAR)

Shift-F8

Warning: “Communicate Message Show History” key
redefined (M_STDMESSAGEHISTORY)

Warning: “Communicate Open/Close Mail key
redefined (M_STDMAIL)

Assigning a Default Keyboard to a User
Users can select a keyboard—that is, a set of macros—to use at any time
by using the Preferences option in the Tools menu. The system
administrator can assign the default keyboard for a user, which appears
when the user first logs on.
When you add a new user to the system, you may want to assign a
keyboard as a default for the user at that time, according to the role the user
plays in your newsroom. For instance, a new writer may get the “user”
keyboard, a new producer would be assigned the “producer” keyboard, and
so forth.

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Assigning a Default Keyboard to a User

You assign a set of macros as a user’s keyboard by assigning the keyboard
story containing those macros to that user. When the user presses a
programmable key, the system looks at the user’s assigned keyboard story
and executes the macro assigned to that key.
To assign a keyboard to a user as a default from an iNEWS
Workstation:

1. Select Tools > Options > Users. The Manage User Accounts dialog
box appears.

2. Do one of the following:

If you clicked New
User rather than
Modify in step 2, the
dialog box appearing in
step 3 will be titled
Add New User. See
“Adding a New User
Account” on page 84
for more information.

Create a new user account by clicking New User.

Modify an existing user account by selecting a user and clicking
Modify.

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Chapter 7 Keyboards and Macros

3. In the Modify User Account dialog box, click User Preferences.

Access to the Modify User Account or Add New User dialog boxes are
restricted to certain users, such as system administrators and user
managers—that is, users who know the umanager password. See
“Modifying User Traits” on page 62 for more information.
4. In the Preferences dialog box, click the Session tab, if not already
selected.

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Assigning a Default Keyboard to a User

5. Use the Keyboard drop-down list to select a keyboard for the user.
6. Click Reload.
7. Click OK to save the new keyboard assignment and close the
Preferences dialog box.
8. Click OK to save the modified user account and close the Modify User
Account dialog box.
9. Do one of the following:
t

Select another user to assign a keyboard to, and click Modify.

Click Close to close the Manage User Accounts dialog box.

10. The next time the user logs in, the computer will automatically assign
the new keyboard. If the user is already logged in, he or she needs to
reload the keyboard or log out and then log back in to use the new
keyboard assignment.

Users can choose a different keyboard than what is assigned to their user
accounts at any time by doing the following: Select Tools > Options >
Preferences. Then, choose the Session tab, pick a keyboard from the dropdown list, and click the Reload button.

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202

Chapter 8
Forms
You can use standard iNEWS forms that come with the system or
customize your database by creating forms and assigning them to queues,
based on the kind of information you want to appear in the stories in those
queues. You can also use forms in your database to replicate any preprinted
forms that you use currently, such as rundowns and assignment sheets.
This chapter explains the following:
•

Form Names, Locations and Guidelines

•

Creating Forms

•

Assigning a Form as a Queue or Story Form

•

Form Field Types and Definitions

•

Standard iNEWS Forms

Chapter 8 Forms

Form Names, Locations and Guidelines
You create forms that are stored as stories in queues located in the database
file structure under the main system folder, SYSTEM.FORMS. The folder
name format is SYSTEM.FORMS.N.NAME, where N is the first letter of
the form name.
For instance, a rundown form may be SYSTEM.FORMS.R.RUNDOWN.
You can have up to 250 forms starting with each letter.

Guidelines for Designing Forms
Follow these general guidelines in designing forms:
•

The story form and queue form can be different, but all fields
displayed in the queue form must exist in the story form before you
can enter or display data in that field.

•

In iNEWS, you cannot system print wider than 80 columns. If a form
extends beyond 80 columns, the extra columns will be dropped from
printing.

Creating Forms
You can create a new form from any iNEWS Workstation. This section
outlines the procedures for constructing a basic form for a rundown. After
building this form, you can easily modify it to match the rundown you
currently use.
The following procedure takes you through steps to create the basic
rundown form, which can be used to create any form in the system.
To create a new form at a workstation:

1. Navigate to the SYSTEM.FORMS folder. The queue for the new form
must be stored in the SYSTEM.FORMS folder.
2. Select Tools > New Folder. A new highlighted directory labeled NewFolder appears.

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Creating Forms

You can skip steps 3 &
4 if the alphabet folders
already exist in the
SYSTEM.FORMS
directory.

3. Type the name of the folder, such as R.
4. Select the alphabet folder, such as R (the folder for forms with names
that begin with the letter R), in which you want to create the new form.
5. Do one of the following:
t

Select Tools > New Queue.

Right-click on the folder and select New Queue from the pop-up
menu.

A new highlighted file labeled New-Queue appears.
6. Type the new form queue’s name, such as Rundown.
7. The Forms Allowed attribute should be inherited from the parent
queue, SYSTEM.FORMS, but you can ensure the Forms Allowed
database trait is applied to the queue by doing the following:
a. Right-click on the queue in the Directory panel to open the Queue
Properties dialog box.
b. Select the Forms Allowed check box so that a check mark appears.
See “Changing
Database Traits” on
page 117 and “Forms
Tab” on page 122 for
more information.

c. Click OK to save changes. Otherwise, you will be unable to create
a form in that queue.

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8. Double-click the queue to display it in the Queue panel.
9. Do one of the following:

If the story form fields
do not appear, click on
the Story drop-down
menu and select the
option to Show Form
Area.

Select File > New Story.

Position your cursor in the Queue panel and press the Insert key.

A new story row appears in the Queue panel and opens in the Story panel.
At the top of the Story panel, there is the Story Form panel that displays the
story form fields (using the default form or the form previously assigned to
the queue). The following graphic shows the Queue and Story Form panels
with some standard form fields.

Queue panel with
a new story row

Story Form panel
with six fields

10. Modify each field to customize the new form. For instance, you would
need to select each field’s type, which defines the field’s function
within the form. See “Customizing Forms” on page 207 and “Form
Field Types and Definitions” on page 214 for more information.
Since a basic rundown form does not necessarily use the default fields,
as shown in the above graphic, field modification is needed. For
instance, the form may include the following fields:

206

•

Page field uses the PAGE-NUMBER field type

•

Title (or Slug) field uses the TITLE field type

•

Presenter (or Anchor) field uses the PRESENTER field type

•

Writer (or Reporter) field uses either the CREATE-BY or
WRITER field type

Creating Forms

When a new story is created, and the field called Writer is a CREATE-BY
field type, it is filled in automatically but cannot be changed by users.
However, if the WRITER field type is selected for the field called Writer,
then when a new story is created, the field is filled automatically, but data
in it can be changed manually by a user.
•

Graphics (or Production Notes) field uses the VAR-N field type,
where N is any number

•

Audio time field uses the AUDIO-TIME field type

•

Back time field uses the BACK-TIME field type

Text and production cues may be placed into the body of the form and text
may be put into the form fields; if so, all data contained in the story form
will appear in a new story whenever one is created in a queue with that
story form.
11. Save the story and exit the queue, accepting current fields and form
properties as the new form.

Customizing Forms
After you create the form queue in SYSTEM.FORMS, you can modify
fields to customize the new form.
To customize a form, open its story and do the following:

1. Put the cursor in the Story Form panel and right-click. A pop-up menu
will appear.
There are three menu options for customizing form fields: Insert Field,
Delete Field, and Field Properties. Access to these options vary, based
on whether or not you right-click on a field in the Story Form panel.
Another option in the
pop-up menu is Label
Borders. See “Label
Borders” on page 212
for more information.

2. Choose an option in the pop-up menu, based on one of the following
(The choice you make also determines which dialog box appears):

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Select Delete Field if you want to remove an existing field from
the form. (The field you right-clicked on is the one you will delete
if you choose this option.) The Confirm Field Delete dialog box
will appear. Go to step 3.

Select Field Properties to modify properties of an existing form
field. Go to step 4.

Select Insert Field to add a new field to the form. Go to step 5.

3. Confirm your command to delete the field and, if necessary, return to
step 2 to continue modifying form fields.

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Creating Forms

4. The Form Properties dialog box appears.

Use the Apply to radio buttons to determine whether you want your
property modifications to be applied to:

•

Current field—the one you right-clicked on

•

Current row—all fields in the row of the field you right-clicked on

•

Entire form—all fields in the form

The rest of the Form Properties dialog box offers the same form options as
those explained in step 5.

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Chapter 8 Forms

5. The Insert Field dialog box appears.

Select various form options—as explained in the following table—to
determine appearance and function of field(s) in the form.

210

Option

Explanation

Label

Enter current field’s name you want to appear in the Story
Form panel.

Type

Select a field type from the drop-down list, which defines
the field’s function. See “Form Field Types and Definitions”
on page 214 for a detailed explanation of the various types
you can choose, including variable fields that allow you to
make up your own field names, such as “shot” or “printed.”

Starts new row

Select this check box to force the field to be the first one in
the next row of the form.

Creating Forms

Option

Explanation

Label size

Enter a numerical value to determine the label size.
This size is in approximate characters. Using a proportional
font will, of course, cause the number of characters to vary.
Generally, label size should be set to edit size plus one.

Edit size

Enter a numerical value to determine the space text will fill
in the field.
The numerical value entered for edit-size does not limit the
amount of text that can be typed in the field, but just the
amount of text viewed in the field at any one time.

n
Attributes

System administrators can set a limit for text in Story
Form fields, using a Registry value defined as VT
Compatibility at each workstation.

Select attributes for the form field.
• Read-Only check box determines whether the form field
can be read (not modified).
• Affects Ready check box determines whether the form
field participates in determining the Ready field value.

Text alignment

Select text position within the field.

Label placement

Select label position.
• Top (default) puts label on top of the field
• Bottom puts label below the field
• Left or Right puts label to either side of the field.

Label alignment

Select way in which label aligns (left, center, or right) with
the field.

Text style

Select appearance of text (bold, italic, or underline) in the
field.

Label style

Select appearance of the label (bold, italic, or underline).

Any combination of these attributes may be selected.

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6. Do one of the following:
t

Click OK in the Form Properties dialog box to record changes to
an existing form and close the dialog box.

Click Insert Before or Insert After in the Insert Field dialog box,
depending on where you want the new field to appear in the form
in relation to the field (or cursor position) you right-clicked on in
step 1. This will record the changes and close the dialog box.

7. Save story in the form queue, by clicking the Save button or selecting
File > Save.
After a form is created and customized, it can be assigned to other queues
in the database as either the queue form, which dictates appearance of the
queue, or story form, which dictates appearance of stories created in the
queue.
Label Borders
Label borders provide various information about fields in a tool tip format.
To turn on Label borders in the Story Form panel:

1. Right-click in the Story Form panel.
2. Select Label Borders in the pop-up menu.
3. Position mouse pointer over a field label to view tool tip.
When selected, rectangular borders are placed around the labels for each
field in the form. When the mouse pointer is positioned over a field’s label,
a tool tip appears that displays that field’s type, and the character count for
the field position and label size.

For instance, the field called Slug (shown above) is a TITLE field located
12 characters in from the left with a label size of 18 characters. So, from
the position of the Slug field, you can determine the Pg Number field has a
Label size of 12 characters. Also, the Contact field, in the example, is
located 30 characters in from the left—that is, its position in the row is
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Assigning a Form as a Queue or Story Form

equal to the sum of the label sizes for the fields directly to its left. This is
the case for sites that follow the general recommendation by Avid that
label sizes be equal to each field’s edit size plus one. However, if the fields’
edit sizes are larger than their label sizes, a field’s position in the row
would be based on the larger of the two. You may confirm these figures by
positioning your mouse over the fields and viewing the tool tips that appear
for each field. Similar to those that appear for labels, field tool tips also
provide character count for position and edit size.

Positioning labels to the left or right of fields rather than above or below
will also result in adjustments for calculating field positions on a row,
since both the label and edit sizes would have to be included instead of the
larger of the two.

Assigning a Form as a Queue or Story Form
Queue and Story forms are database traits that allow you to assign different
forms to different folders and queues using the Directory/Queue Properties
dialog box at the workstation, or the dbtraits command at the console. For
more information on how to assign a form at the console, see “Queue
Form” and “Story Form” on page G-23.<--Fix XREF
You assign these traits to define the appearance of information in the
Queue panel and Story Form panel.
To assign a form at an iNEWS Workstation:

1. Navigate to the directory (folder) or queue you want in the Directory
panel.
2. Right-click to open the Directory/Queue Properties dialog box. Access
to this dialog box and its appearance varies, depending on certain
circumstances. See “Directory/Queue Properties Dialog Box” on
page 121 for more information.
3. Do either or both of the following:
t

Use the Queue drop-down list on the Forms tab to select the form
you want to apply to the directory as queue form database trait.

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Chapter 8 Forms

Use the Story drop-down list on the Forms tab to select the form
you want to apply to the directory as story form database trait.
See “Forms Tab” on page 122 for more information.

4. Click OK to save changes and apply the new queue/story form
settings.

Users should log off and sign back on to view the new queue/story form
settings.

Form Field Types and Definitions
Form field types are explained in this section. Included is the suggested
maximum or minimum length for each field (where applicable) and
whether a user can enter text in the field.
You can repeat only the variable and AFF-READY-N fields in a form,
where N is a different number for each occurrence, such as
AFF-READY-1. You can use all other fields only once.
The following table provides explanation of forms pertaining to broadcast
and/or machine control and which fields are typically used in a variety of
forms/queues.
Field Type
AFF-READY-N

Description

AFF-READY-N fields are created when a system is converted from Avid
Netstation to iNEWS. The AFF-READY-N fields are assigned the “Affects
(N represent any number)
Ready” attribute when created. This means the field affects the display in
the READY status field and allows a user to initialize a story and change its
status. There can be more than one AFF-READY-N field in a form. If any
AFF-READY-N field within a form contains a “?” then the READY field
displays a NOT READY message. If a question mark does not appear in any
of the AFF-READY-N fields in the form, then the Ready field displays a
READY message. This field should precede the READY status field in the
form. In iNEWS, the “Affects Ready” attribute can be assigned to any field
in a form and the result would be the same behavior as described here
pertaining to the AFF-READY-N field. For more information, see the
definition for the READY field in this document.

214

Form Field Types and Definitions

Field Type

Description (Continued)

AIR-DATE

When a story is aired using the show-timing function, the date and time it
airs is inserted in this read-only field. This field is designed to show which
story is currently on-air and give users a sense of how much time remains
until a later story goes to air. As the producer syncs timing on stories, the
queue display on other iNEWS Workstations shows that story in a different
color. (Peach is the standard default color rule.) The format on iNEWS
Workstation is controlled by the workstation control panel for regional
settings.

These fields are used differently, depending on the queue in which they are
used. They appear in Machine Control Terminal (MCT) forms and some
(N represents 1 through 5;
ControlAir forms. Also, many of the fields have different meaning,
X represents any number)
depending on the device type. For instance, in an MCT form, the event ID
for a video/cart machine goes in the APP1-1 field, but in the APP2-1 field
for a CG or SS, where the APP1-1 field is used for the style. These fields
were previously used in the mail and account forms in Avid Netstation, but
are no longer used for those forms in iNEWS. The APPN-X fields have
been renamed in iNEWS and occur only in template conversion from Avid
Netstation.
APPN-X to APPN-X

AUDIO-TIME

This field will display the estimated time for reading a story, which can be
estimated by the computer system or entered into the field by a user. If a
user enters a time in the field, the system will use it to calculate the total
time. If there is also a TAPE-TIME field in the form, the system adds the
TAPE-TIME to the AUDIO-TIME to calculate the story’s total time.
Without any user input, the system will display an estimated time based on
the length of the story and presenter’s read rate, which is obtained from the
PRESENTER field in the form. If there is no PRESENTER field or it does
not contain a user ID, then audio time is based on the system’s default read
rate. The length of the story is actually the word count of the story, since
the read rate is based on words per minute.
If a user has entered a time in the field and wants to restore the audio time
calculated by the system, the user should remove entered data from the
field with the space bar, delete, or backspace key. After the cursor leaves
the form field, the system will then display the computer-calculated audio
time and recalculate total time accordingly.

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216

Field Type

Description (Continued)

BACK-TIME

The system displays the back-time in this field. The back-time field is
usually eight characters wide, such as 00:00:00. A user can enter data in
this field to indicate hard-hit times for back-timing to certain points within
a program.

CA-CAPTURED

This field displays total number of characters captured during a session
connection; it is one of eight special fields used in the SYSTEM.ACCOUNT
queue form for logging connection time activity. Although this field is not
required, omitting it will prevent iNEWS from displaying the
corresponding information in the form.

CA-DIRECTION

This field displays the direction of incoming or outgoing connections. It is
one of eight special fields used in the SYSTEM.ACCOUNT queue form for
logging connection time activity. Although this field is not required,
omitting it will prevent iNEWS from displaying the corresponding
information in the form.

CA-ELAPSED

This field displays elapsed time of a session connection. It is one of eight
fields used in the SYSTEM.ACCOUNT queue for logging connection time
activity. Although this field is not required, omitting it will prevent iNEWS
from displaying corresponding information in the form.

CA-IDENT

This field displays the connection identifier. It is one of eight fields used in
the SYSTEM.ACCOUNT queue for logging connection time activity.
Although this field is not required, omitting it will prevent iNEWS from
displaying corresponding information in the form.

CA-ORIGIN

This field displays the origin machine name. It is one of eight special fields
used in the SYSTEM.ACCOUNT queue form for logging connection time
activity. Although this field is not required, omitting it will prevent iNEWS
from displaying corresponding information in the form.

CA-RECEIVED

This field displays the total number of characters received from a remote
system during a connection. It is one of eight special fields used in the
SYSTEM.ACCOUNT queue form for logging connection time activity.
Although this field is not required, omitting it will prevent The iNEWS
system from displaying corresponding information in the form.

CA-REMOTE

This field displays the remotely connected machine name. It is one of eight
special fields used in the SYSTEM.ACCOUNT queue form for logging
connection time activity. Although this field is not required, omitting it will
prevent iNEWS from displaying corresponding information in the form.

Form Field Types and Definitions

Field Type

Description (Continued)

CA-SENT

This field displays the total number of characters sent to a remote system
during a connection. It is one of eight special fields used in the
SYSTEM.ACCOUNT queue form for logging connection time activity.
Although this field is not required, omitting it will prevent iNEWS from
displaying corresponding information in the form.

CG-ADDR

This field holds the ID’s or recorded page addresses from the character
generator on which a super is written by the CG interface.
This field is primarily used in association with machine control systems
and ControlAir systems. See “iNEWS MCS/ControlAir Fields and Forms”
on page 226 for further information on when and how this field is used.

CG-TEMPLATE

This field contains template information for the character generator,
namely the address on the character generator of the template or tab field to
be used for the requested super. This field is primarily used in association
with machine control systems and ControlAir systems. See “iNEWS
MCS/ControlAir Fields and Forms” on page 226 for further information on
when and how this field is used.

CG-TEXT

This field contains text of the super from the machine control instruction
requested by a user in the script. It is written into specified template fields
on the character generator interfaced with iNEWS. This field is primarily
used in association with machine control systems and ControlAir systems.
See “iNEWS MCS/ControlAir Fields and Forms” on page 226 for further
information on when and how this field is used.

CHANNEL

The letter or numerical identifier of the on-air output or playback channel
of an interfaced production device is located in this field. Most production
devices have two or more channels. This field is primarily used in
association with machine control systems and ControlAir systems. See
“iNEWS MCS/ControlAir Fields and Forms” on page 226 for further
information on when and how this field is used.

CREATE-BY

When you open a new story, the system enters your user name in this field.
The name is permanent and cannot be erased or overwritten. In a Mail
form, this field is used to indicate who sent the E-mail.

CREATE-DATE

When you create a new story, the system stores the date and time the story
was created in this read-only field. The format on iNEWS is controlled by
the workstation control panel for regional settings.

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218

Field Type

Description (Continued)

CUME-TIME

The computer displays the cumulative (cume) time. This field represents
the time of all the stories—except the selected story—added together. It
has a suggested minimum length of five characters, and is typically eight
characters.

DEVICE-MGR

This field displays the device name controlling a particular event. This field
is primarily used in association with machine control systems and
ControlAir systems. See “iNEWS MCS/ControlAir Fields and Forms” on
page 226 for further information on when and how this field is used.

DURATION

This field displays the playing length of an event, such as how long a
certain piece of video will be aired or the duration of a CG or still store
effect. This field is primarily used in association with machine control
systems and ControlAir systems. See “iNEWS MCS/ControlAir Fields and
Forms” on page 226 for further information on when and how this field is
used.

EFFECT

This field holds the effect name requested in association with a machine
control or broadcast control event that will be applied to the character
generator or still store machine when it’s taken to air. For instance: a wipe
or a dissolve. This field is primarily used in association with machine
control systems and ControlAir systems. See “iNEWS MCS/ControlAir
Fields and Forms” on page 226 for further information on when and how
this field is used.

Form Field Types and Definitions

Field Type

Description (Continued)

ENDORSE-BY

This field enables a user with write-access to the queue to endorse stories
in that queue. When a story is first saved in a queue, the field is red and
blank. Whenever a user endorses the story, the system places that user’s
name in the ENDORSE-BY field corresponding to that story and the field
changes to green.
To manually endorse a story, click on the field in the queue. If another user
subsequently changes the story and saves it, the ENDORSE-BY field turns
yellow but the endorser’s name remains in the field. This indicates the story
was changed by one user after it had been approved by another. The
endorser can see who made the change by looking in the MODIFY-BY
field if there is one in the story form. The endorser can also withdraw
approval by opening the story form and deleting the user id from the
ENDORSE-BY field.
If the ENDORSE-BY field is not shown in the Queue panel, a user can still
endorse the story by typing a character in the ENDORSE-BY field located
in the story form. A non-system administrator (non-superuser) cannot kill
an endorsed story if another user has the Production Lock set.

n
EVENT-STATUS

The story form must include a MODIFY-BY field to show the green
"endorsed" status in the ENDORSE-BY field.

This field displays availability and play status of an MCS/ControlAir event,
as reported by the production device involved. For instance, a video event
could be reported as N/L (not loaded), CUED,PLAYING, or STOPPED,
among other things. In rundown and Event List forms only the status of a
video event can be displayed. In Machine Control Terminal (MCT) and
iNEWS ControlAir Workstation forms, this field can also contain the status
of CG and still store events. EVENT-STATUS is primarily used in
association with machine control systems and ControlAir systems. See
“iNEWS MCS/ControlAir Fields and Forms” on page 226 for further
information on when and how this field is used.

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Chapter 8 Forms

Field Type

Description (Continued)

ITEM-CHANNEL

This field is required to allow changing of the channel that primary events
will play on. It does not apply to events entered as production cues in the
story body. The ITEM-CHANNEL field is used to set or display the
channel for primary ControlAir video events.
A user can edit this field—thereby changing the play out channel for a
primary event—manually or through the Assign Channel dialog box at the
iNEWS Workstation. Any changes made at an iNEWS Workstation will be
relayed to the appropriate device.

220

When using the Assign Channel dialog box for ControlAir Plugin
(CAP) events, the channel information is displayed in the ITEMCHANNEL field. It is no longer appended to information in the
VIDEO-ID field, as was the case in versions prior to iNEWS 2.0.

LITERAL

This field is a non-editable field, typically used as a label or spacer to assist
in alignment of other fields within the Story Form.

MAIL-CC

This field is used in the Mail story form to display names of users receiving
a copy of an E-mail message.

MAIL-TO

This field is used in the Mail story form to display names of users to whom
an E-mail message is sent.

MODIFY-BY

This field contains the name of whoever most recently modified a story. A
user cannot edit this field.

MODIFY-DATE

Displays date and time story was last modified. Every time a story is edited
and saved, the system updates this field.

MODIFY-DEV

If a device name for a workstation is included in the configuration file, it
appears in this field when a story is saved at that workstation. If the device
name is not included in the configuration file, this field displays the IP
address of the workstation that was used when the story was saved. The
maximum number of characters for a device name is eight, but the IP
address can contain up to 15 characters.

MOS-ACTIVE

This write-protected field is required for the Story Form to accept MOS or
CAP events. The field’s content is created by the software when MOS or
CAP events are created. Content may be cleared if the user selects Delete
Machine Control from the right-click pop-up menu.

Form Field Types and Definitions

Field Type

Description (Continued)

MOS-DURATION

This editable field is required to allow duration information from MOS or
CAP events to be included in calculations for CUME-TIME, BACK-TIME
or TOTAL-TIME fields.
A user can enter a value, which appears bold, directly into this field, which
will be used only in show-timing calculations. Such user-entered
information does not become part of MOS or CAP events that are passed
on to the appropriate MOS device or ControlAir in the case of CAP events.
Deleting user-entered information from the field will allow show-timing to
revert back to duration information supplied by MOS or CAP events.
The contents of MOS-DURATION field are only used if a RUNS-TIME
field is present in the story. The contents of the MOS-DURATION field is
added to the computed runs time of the story and this total is shown in the
RUNS-TIME field. If the user enters a time in the RUNS-TIME field, the
MOS-DURATION field contents are ignored.

MOS-SUBEVENT

This field is reserved for future use.

MOS-TITLE

This write-protected field is required to allow the display of descriptive text
associated with MOS or CAP events.

NSML-LITERAL

This field is only seen in stories and forms transferred from an Avid
Netstation database to an iNEWS database and cannot be created by a user.
The field is a by-product of the database conversion process and represents
a protected field in the Netstation template.

PAGE-NUMBER

This field is used primarily to arrange stories in a queue. If a queue is set to
sort stories by page number, users can change the order of stories in the
queue by entering in new page numbers. This is commonly done with
rundowns, because it allows the producer to quickly change the order of
stories by assigning them new page numbers. This field can also be
displayed on the WinCue prompter. The system uses the first six characters
of the field as a page number when the story is printed. This field is used in
printing only when the story is printed using the “print script” option.

PRESENTER

The system uses the name of the user from this field to look up the user
read-rate. The system then calculates audio time for the story based on the
user read-rate. If a form does not contain a PRESENTER field, the system
calculates the audio time, based on the default read-rate set in the system
profile. (This is usually 180 wpm in English.)

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Field Type

Description (Continued)

READY

In some cases, the system places status information, such as NEW, HOLD,
LOCKED, or WIRE in this field. For instance, a wire story starts with the
WIRE status. When a user changes the story, it changes from WIRE to
READY. In the Mail form, the READY field is used to indicate whether an
E-mail message is NEW or was READ.
A user cannot enter data in this field, but it can be altered based on
information put in other fields with the “Affects Ready” attribute in the
form. In these cases, iNEWS checks the “Affects Ready” fields in the form
for a “?” and if any one of the fields are empty or contain that character as
the first non-blank character, then the READY field displays a NOTREADY status. However, iNEWS displays READY in the READY field if
none of the fields with the “Affect Ready” attribute contain a question
mark.

222

RESULT-INDEX

This field is in forms used to define the display of iNEWS database search
results. It contains the sequence number that indicates the original order of
items within the search results.

RESULT-LOC

This field is in forms used to define the display of iNEWS database search
results. It contains the location of data found during a search, such as the
name of a queue containing the story found matching the search criteria.

Form Field Types and Definitions

Field Type

Description (Continued)

RUNS-TIME

This field displays the sum of all “runs=” times in a story’s production cues
plus the contents of the MOS-DURATION field. If the RUNS-TIME field
is not present in the story form, then the runs time entries will not be
calculated. It it’s not present along with MOS-DURATION, then the time
from the MOS-DURATION field will not be added to the story’s total time.
Runs time entries and the RUNS-TIME form field are not updated when
the iNEWS Workstation is connected only to the local database. When
connected to both the local database and server, the runs times will be
updated when the local database story is edited. Also, when the story is
copied from the local database into a queue on the iNEWS Server, its runs
times will then be updated accordingly.
The field functions much like the AUDIO-TIME field in that it can accept
user entered times while still maintaining the “real” runs time. For
example, a user can manually enter a time of 45 seconds in the field and
that time will be reflected in the TOTAL-TIME field. The sum of runs time
entries as calculated in the RUNS-TIME field are also included along with
time from story text in the text timing clocks, located at the bottom of the
Story panel. However, if a user manually edit the RUNS-TIME field, that
data will not be included in the times calculated for the text timing clocks.
By default, the Runs Time feature uses the word RUNS (not case-sensitive)
to indicate a runs time entry, which is quite flexible. Some examples are:
RUNS=25
RUNS=1:30
RUNS = 25
RUNS 1:30
TAPE RUNS 115
You can change this default by redefining the token W_RUNS on the server
in /site/dict/words.

n
SEARCH-ID

A runs time entry of 115, as shown in the last example above, is the
equivalent of one minute and fifty-five seconds (1:55). The number
115, without a colon, is interpreted as the number of seconds. So,
115 is not the same as 1:15.

This field, which contains the request ID number, is used by the Find All
and Fast Text Search features of iNEWS.

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224

Field Type

Description (Continued)

STATUS

This field is used in a rundown queue. It will display “OK” or “ERROR,”
depending on the machine control event. The ControlAir system
monitoring program sets this field to indicate whether there are any errors
in the production cues in stories of the rundown. In the
SYSTEM.ACCOUNT queue form used for logging connection activity, the
STATUS field is used to display the type of connection.

STILL-ID

In an Event List or Composite List queue, this field displays the
alphanumeric identifier for a still store graphic. This field is primarily used
in association with machine control systems and ControlAir systems. See
“iNEWS MCS/ControlAir Fields and Forms” on page 226 for further
information on when and how this field is used.

STILL-PRESET

This field contains the number or letter designation of a predefined still
store format. It is typically used in the form for the still store device event
list, and is recognized by the iNEWS ControlAir Workstation. This field is
primarily used in association with machine control systems and ControlAir
systems. See “iNEWS MCS/ControlAir Fields and Forms” on page 226 for
further information on when and how this field is used.

STYLE

This field contains the MCS/ControlAir style name specified when a user
requests a CG or Still Store event in the production cue. It is typically an
alpha or alphanumeric sequence that is a maximum of eight characters
long. For instance, iNEWS translates a CG style into an address on the
character generator at which a template is stored. That template is then
used to build the requested super. Styles are defined in stories in the
SYSTEM.RESOURCE queue. They define the details, such as CG
template, number of fields, still preset or playback effect, that define an
event. This field is primarily used in association with machine control
systems and ControlAir systems. See “iNEWS MCS/ControlAir Fields and
Forms” on page 226 for further information on when and how this field is
used.

TAPE-TIME

A user can enter the tape’s run time in this field. If there is an AUDIOTIME field, the system adds tape time to audio time to calculate the story’s
total time.

Form Field Types and Definitions

Field Type

Description (Continued)

TITLE

This field is used to give each story a name. Occasionally referred to as the
“Slug” field, it is the default quick “index field” for sorting stories in a
queue. The first 20 characters of any field defined as the sort field of a
queue is extracted and used as the “quick index” for the story. The TITLE
field is usually selected as the “index field.” That means it is the field
searched when a user conducts a Find or Find All search function and
specifies a search of the index field. In a Mail form, this field is used to
display the Subject of the E-mail message sent. In the SYSTEM.ACCOUNT
queue form used for logging connection activity, the TITLE field is used to
display the Service name.

TOTAL-TIME

The computer stores the total time for a story in this field, calculated based
on the sum of information from the RUNS-TIME, TAPE-TIME and
AUDIO-TIME fields. If the AUDIO-TIME field isnot present,the
computed audio time is used. The RUNS-TIME and TAPE-TIME fields
must be present to be included in the total time. The story’s total time is
used when calculating back-time. If none of the three field types are
present, the total story time is a computed adio time.

VAR-N

This variable field was carried over from the Avid Netstation template
conversion. It is typically used for generic editable text fields. Users can
make up their own new fields using descriptive names, such as “crew” for a
field that lists a reporter/photographer team assigned to cover a story. The
user can employ anything for a field name with the following restrictions:

(N represents any
number.)

VIDEO-ID

•

The name must be 12 characters or less

•

The name must begin with a letter of the alphabet

•

It can include any letters (a-z), numbers (0-9), a dash (-) or a period (.)

•

The name is not case sensitive. User-created field names are treated the
same as variable fields.

This field is used in the rundown queue to display the tape number or clip
ID for video. It is also found in forms for the composite and video event
lists. This field is primarily used in association with machine control and
ControlAir systems.

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Chapter 8 Forms

Field Type

Description (Continued)

WRITER

When someone creates a new story, the system automatically enters his or
her user name in this field if it is present in the form. You can also enter
text and change the name.

Distribution codes assigned to wire stories are placed in the
WRITER field if it is present on the form used for wire stories. The
codes would also be placed in a MODIFY-BY or CREATE-BY field if
either are present in the story as well.

Write-protected fields may be edited if the third-party vendor supplies an
editor interface. Otherwise, such fields can be modified only by deletion or
by replacement. To delete, use the Delete Machine Control option from the
right-click pop-up menu. To replace, use the Import From Plugin option or
drag-and-drop a MOS or CAP event from any source.

iNEWS MCS/ControlAir Fields and Forms
Certain field options within iNEWS are used in specialized forms, which
deal with various devices that interface with the iNEWS newsroom
computer system. These forms work in part with the Machine Control
System (MCS) or iNEWS ControlAir system monitoring programs.

The application fields available in Avid Netstation are now used only by
the Machine Control Terminal, which cannot use new field types because
of the limitation in the number of fields usable by PCU programs.
In certain cases, some fields in these forms are filled out by the system
rather than users. The monitor utility program in iNEWS recognizes a new
set of descriptive MCS field types in the Rundown, Event list, and
Composite list forms.

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Form Field Types and Definitions

Here’s a brief description of these forms:
Data Type

Rundown Forms

RUNDOWN FORMS This is the form used by stories in the rundown queue.
The monitor program may extract text from some fields
in this form and may put text in others. It also copies text
from the rundown form to Event List/Composite List and
MCT forms. Only event information for video devices is
currently placed in the rundown story form.

EVENT LIST
FORMS

The monitor server program places information about an
event destined for a specific device in the form fields of
the Event List story. It also copies rundown field
text—for instance, title and page number—into matching
fields in the Event List story form.

COMPOSITE LIST
FORMS

The monitor server program puts information about
events destined for all devices in the form fields of the
Composite List story. It also copies rundown field
text—for instance, the title and page number—into
matching fields in the Composite List story form.

MCT FORMS

All MCS device "drivers" use a Machine Control
Terminal form to hold displayable data for the MCT
monitoring program. Some event status is passed through
the fields in this form.

ControlAir FORMS

The function of the iNEWS ControlAir Workstation form
is similar to the MCT form in that it controls which data
will be displayed on the playback screen. Currently, the
iNEWS ControlAir Workstation only extracts the PAGENUMBER from this form, but in future releases it will
use all fields in the form. Fields defined for use only by
the iNEWS ControlAir Workstation are: DURATION,
CHANNEL, and DEVICE-MGR.

See “Monitor Servers” on page 495 for more information.

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Below is a chart of form fields filled in by the monitor server (utility)
program:
Data Type

Event List
Rundown Forms Forms

Composite List
Forms

MCT Forms
(MCS only)

Error Status

STATUS

Video ID/Address

VIDEO-ID

APP1-1

Video Status

EVENT-STATUS

AFF-READY-1

Video Duration

TAPE-TIME

CG Address

CG-ADDR

APP2-1

CG Template

CG-TEMPLATE

APP3-1

CG Text

CG-TEXT

VAR-1

Still Store Address

STILL-ID

APP2-1

Still Store Preset

STILL-PRESET

APP3-1

CG/SS Style

STYLE

APP1-1

CG/SS Effect

EFFECT

MODIFY-DEV

CG/SS Event Status

AFF-READY-1

MCT Current Event

WRITER

Sony Barcode SOM

APP4-1

Sony Barcode EOM

APP5-1

Standard iNEWS Forms
The iNEWS system contains a number of standard forms, each designed
for use with one of the system’s features. The forms your system provides
are ready to use, but you can also customize them. You can add or remove
fields from a form or change a field’s title.

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Standard iNEWS Forms

Account Queue Form
The system keeps a record of events, such as who logged into a connect
session, the service used, and length of the connect session. This
information is made available when the system creates a story in the
SYSTEM.ACCOUNT queue and puts information in the story’s form. A
form designed for this must be assigned to SYSTEM.ACCOUNT, or your
system cannot display the information. The standard account queue form is
usually stored in the queue SYSTEM.FORMS.A.ACCOUNT.
The following table shows the fields used in the Account Queue form.
Field Label

Field Type

Service name

TITLE

User

CREATE-BY

Date and time

CREATE-DATE

Connection type

STATUS

Origin machine name

CA-ORIGIN

Incoming or outgoing connection

CA-DIRECTION

Remote machine name

CA-REMOTE

Elapsed time of session connection

CA-ELAPSED

Connection identifier

CA-IDENT

Total characters sent to remote system

CA-SENT

Total characters received from remote system CA-RECEIVED
Total characters captured

CA-CAPTURED

You are not required to include any of these fields in the account queue
form. However, omitting a field prevents the system from displaying
information associated with that field in the account queue.

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Chapter 8 Forms

Mail Form
The Mail feature has a form specially designed for mail stories. This form
has fields for elements such as the subject of your message, name of
message recipient, and people you want copied on the message. The mail
form is stored in SYSTEM.FORMS.M.MAIL. The system includes a mail
form, but you can specify a form for the mail feature to use by assigning
the form to the SYSTEM.MAIL.OUT queue.
You may modify this form to suit your system needs. The following fields
are used by the Mail queue.
Field Label

Field Type

MAIL-TO

Subject

TITLE

MAIL-CC

From

CREATE-BY

Only the To field is required. A form that does not have the other fields is
still usable.

Print Form
The system maintains a separate print queue for each of your printers.
When someone sends a story to a printer, the system places it in the
printer’s print queue behind any pending print requests.
While a print request is held in a print queue, the system displays
information in the print request’s form, such as creator of the print request
and time the request was made. To display this information, the print queue
must have a form designed to display print queue information.
Your system’s standard print queue form is assigned to your system’s print
queues. This form is stored in SYSTEMS.FORMS.P.PRINTER.

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Standard iNEWS Forms

The following table shows field types used in the print queue form.
Field Label

Field Type

Title/Folder

TITLE

Date Printed

CREATE-DATE

CREATE-BY

Style

VAR-1

Type

STATUS

Copies

PAGE-NUMBER

None of these fields is required. However, omitting any field would prevent
the display of information associated with that field.

Find All Form
Your system uses the form assigned to SYSTEM.SEEK, or whichever
queue is specified for Q_SEEK in the system dictionary
(/site/dict/queues) as the find all form. Since the system expects
to find certain information in each of the form’s fields, the form assigned to
SYSTEM.SEEK must be designed for use with the find all command.
The follow table shows field types used in the find all form.
Field Label

Field Type

SEARCH-ID

Status

READY

Search For

VAR-1

Search Where

APP1-1

Results Queue

TITLE

Search Type

APP2-1

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Chapter 8 Forms

Field Label

Field Type

Max Hits

PAGE-NUMBER

Notify Hits

APP3-1

Hits so Far

PRESENTER

CREATED BY

Started At

CREATE-DATE

The find all command must have certain information to perform a
search. If you leave out a required field, the iNEWS Workstation displays a
Missing form field message whenever someone tries to use the
find all command.

Wire Story Form
The name of the form
used for wire stories is
defined by the Words
dictionary token
W_WIRE_FORM.

232

To display information such as title, time moved, source, and average
reading time in each wire, the system contains a wire story form. It is
assigned to the wire queues and stored in SYSTEM.FORMS.W.WIRES.
Any changes you make to this form do not take effect until you restart the
wire. The following table shows field types used in the wire story form.
Field Label

Field Type

Title

TITLE

From

WRITER or CREATE-BY

Moved

CREATE-DATE

Status

READY

Time

AUDIO-TIME

FlashWord

PRESENTER

Number

PAGE-NUMBER

Chapter 9
Character Generator
Title Entry
The iNEWS newsroom computer system provides journalists, producers,
directors, writers, and technical personnel in a newsroom with an array of
tools to make their jobs easier. One such tool is the CG Title Entry feature,
which enables newsroom personnel to simulate character-generated
graphics at the iNEWS Workstation. By offering a graphical view of CG
information, iNEWS helps production staff verify the accuracy and quality
of the data prior to air.
This chapter explains the following:
•

Overview of CG Title Entry

•

Title Entry Setup and Configuration

•

CG Template Backgrounds

•

CG Template Editor

•

Title Entry Security

Chapter 9 Character Generator Title Entry

Overview of CG Title Entry
When writing scripts, journalists are typically required to include
information in the script that will appear as a character-generated graphic
when the story is aired. These graphics, called supers or CGs, must be
entered into the script in such a way that iNEWS can identify the
information as data for the character generator. This method of
identification uses production cues—also called machine
instructions—which are separated from the story text.
The first production
cue example appears
graphically later in this
section.

Here is an example of a production cue for a CG with one line of text for
the graphic and one line of information for production staff.
*CG live
USA Hockey Championships

Here is another example of a production cue for a CG with two lines of text
for the graphic and two lines of information for iNEWS and production
personnel:
*CG live
Ellen Miller
City Hall
Take cg at 10 seconds in...

In the example, the user cannot visually determine how information will
appear on air when the data is loaded in the character generator template.
For instance, will the data fit into the actual text fields on the CG template?
The answer to this question cannot be determined from the production cue
text. However, the Title Entry feature allows for this possibility by offering
a graphic-style dialog box.
The dialog box displays sample templates, complete with backgrounds and
text fields, similar to actual CG templates that appear on air. These sample
templates—which are configured and modified by system administrators
using the CG Template Editor—can be filled in by the users, and
information is applied to the production cue within the script. When
configured accordingly, the Title Entry dialog box can provide users with
visual verification of whether text they enter will fit in fields of actual

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Overview of CG Title Entry

character-generated graphics. Producers can use the Title Entry dialog box
to preview CG information in scripts in order to check the appearance and
accuracy prior to airing the production cue.
The following graphic shows how a single-lined production cue appears in
the Title Entry dialog box, using a template background that has a 16 x 9
screen ratio.

Dimensions
Toggle Button

The black button at the bottom of the window allows users to toggle
markers on and off, indicating what part of the graphic would be visible
within the standard 4 x 3 screen ratio.

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Chapter 9 Character Generator Title Entry

The Title Entry feature can only be accessed by users when the cursor is
located in the Story panel of the iNEWS Workspace. Access to Title Entry
can also be limited to certain users. See “Title Entry Security” on
page 255 for more information.

Title Entry Setup and Configuration
Before you can use the Title Entry feature, templates must be created by
the system administrator in iNEWS to simulate the actual graphics used by
the character generator. The person responsible for setting up the templates
should have a good understanding of how CGs are created on the character
generator, because it is important that templates in Title Entry correspond
to those used by the character generator.

Understanding CG Templates
Most CGs are comprised of both background graphics and text fields. A
background graphic could be a small color bar that spans the bottom third
portion of the television screen, a full-screen graphic, a logo in the corner
of the screen, and so forth. See “CG Template Backgrounds” on page 238
for more information.
The text fields vary as well. A CG template can contain numerous text
fields, with each one having different predefined properties, such as screen
location and font style. Typically, users can write text in the fields, but
some may contain predefined text that users cannot edit. For instance, a
CG can have a field with the predefined word, FILE, which would be aired
over file video of previous news coverage.

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Title Entry Setup and Configuration

An example of a standard CG template is a two-line lower-third CG. In the
following example, the bar separating the two rectangular boxes make up
the background. The boxes are the text fields, which can be filled in by a
user.

CG text fields are also
known as tab fields,
referring to the key
used to navigate from
one field to another.

In a CG template, the character generator assigns each text field a number,
indicating the order in which fields can be filled in. For instance, a user
types a name in field one, then navigates to the second field in the sequence
using the Tab key, and types the person’s job title or location.
Knowing the numeric field assignments of each template is crucial,
because the sequence in the Title Entry dialog box must match the tab
field’s sequence on the corresponding character generator’s template.
CG templates are stored on the character generator at locations assigned or
represented by identification numbers known as Template numbers. These
numbers can be used by the CG operator to recall templates, which are
filled in and aired during a show. However, in iNEWS, aliases are usually
assigned to each template to provide users with an easier way of
recognizing the template.
For instance, a template containing one field—one line of text—used to air
the location of a story may be stored on the character generator as template
502, but users type in the alias loc1 in the production cue.
The assignment of aliases to Template numbers is stored in the Resource
queue located in the System directory (SYSTEM.RESOURCE). These
same aliases must be established first and used in naming the templates for
Title Entry.

The Title-Entry queue in the System directory (namely,
SYSTEM.TITLE-ENTRY) is used to limit access to the CG Template
Editor. When the CG Template Editor starts, it gains a lock on
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Chapter 9 Character Generator Title Entry

SYSTEM.TITLE-ENTRY, which guarantees that only one system
administrator can modify the set of templates at any given time. The
Title-Entry queue must be created, if it does not already exist, prior to
creating templates. See “Creating a New Queue” on page 103 for more
information. Do not manually edit the data in this queue. When
configuring templates or setting up new ones, use the CG Template
Editor provided in the software. See “CG Template Editor” on
page 243 for more information.

CG Template Backgrounds
Before creating CG templates for Title Entry, the system administrator
should capture an image of the actual CG templates on the character
generator as bitmaps. These bitmaps are used as background images in the
creation process of corresponding templates in iNEWS.
The Capture Tool is a program—included with your iNEWS software
CD—used to capture template backgrounds on character generators. It
captures the templates as bitmaps with the exact specifications (400 x 300
pixels) for a screen ratio of 4 x 3, one of two acceptible ratios for Title
Entry templates.

If you chose to use some other method of capturing bitmaps on the
character generator, you must create bitmaps in one of two sizes. Standard
size is 400 x 300 pixels with 256 or more colors. The iNEWS CG Title
Entry also supports images for a 16 x 9 screen ratio, which requires
bitmaps with the larger dimensions of 560 pixels wide by 315 pixels high.
The Capture Tool can be used only to capture bitmaps for the smaller 4 x 3
screen ratio.
You can store the bitmaps anywhere on the network as long as they are
accessible from the iNEWS Workstation used to run the CG Template
Editor. When the CG Template Editor program creates Title Entry
templates, the chosen bitmaps are copied to the iNEWS database, at which
point the bitmaps on the network, created by the Capture Tool (or other
software) may be disposed of.

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CG Template Backgrounds

This section will explain what bitmaps are needed, hardware requirements
for the Capture Tool, the installation process and procedures for using the
Capture Tool to capture bitmaps with 400 x 300 pixel dimensions.

Required Bitmaps
Two slightly different bitmaps of each unique CG template should be
captured from the character generator. First, capture the CG template with
the text fields full of text.

Do not use spaces. Each text field in the actual CG template filled out with
information from a user should have a solid string of characters in it when
the bitmap is made. Fixed-width fonts allow for absolute accuracy;
however, proportional fonts can be used. The character limit of a field with
fixed-width fonts will be the same no matter which letters of the alphabet
are used to fill it up. Proportional—also known as variable-width—fonts
contain some letters that are wider than others, so the character limit may
vary. For instance, the character limit of a field with a proportional font
may be nine letters if “M” is used to fill up the field, but that limit
increases to 25 when the letter “I” is used instead. A good mix of wide and
narrow letters should be typed in the field to fill it up if a proportional font
is used.
The first bitmap provides a graphical demonstration of character width
allowed in a text field and the position of that field on the screen. This
bitmap will be used to align text fields and fonts on the Title Entry
template when created in the CG Template Editor.
Secondly, capture the CG template with empty text fields as a bitmap. This
bitmap will replace the first one in the final version of the Title Entry
template. It will be used as the template background shown in the Title
Entry dialog box.

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Chapter 9 Character Generator Title Entry

Capture Tool
The Capture Tool is a program used to capture graphical representations of
templates on character generators. The tool captures a template as a
bitmap, with dimensions of 400 x 300 pixels, which can then be used as a
background image in the iNEWS Title Entry templates.

The Capture Tool does not support images with dimensions of 560 x 315
pixels, the size used for a screen ratio of 16 x 9.

Hardware Requirements for Capture Tool
The hardware requirements to operate Capture Tool are:
•

133 Mhz IBM PC

•

32 MB RAM

•

10 MB Hard Disk space available

•

XGA Monitor

•

Osprey® 100 Video Card

Installation of Capture Tool
For more information
on the Osprey 100
video card, visit the
Web site:
www.ViewCast.com.

Before you can install Capture Tool, the Osprey 100 video card should
already be installed, according to the instructions provided with the card by
ViewCast.com, Incorporated.
To install Capture Tool:

1. Run the setup program (setup.exe) from your iNEWS CD. This
program is on the CD in a subdirectory called GTECapture.
Follow any instructions as prompted in the program. The setup process will
install the capture tool on your PC and create a Program Files group called
Title Entry Capture Tool.

n
240

You must provide a baseband video signal to the input of your Osprey card.
This signal can be from a VCR or from your internal routing system. It
does not require time-base corrected video; however, corrected video will
produce better images.

CG Template Backgrounds

Using the Capture Tool
To use the Capture Tool to capture a bitmap image:

1. Select Start > Program > Capture Tool.
The Capture Tool program checks for multiple video card drivers and
display a dialog box similar to the Select Capture Driver dialog box:

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Chapter 9 Character Generator Title Entry

2. Select the driver for the card used to capture images (typically, the
Osprey card). After the selection is made, the tool will open a window
showing incoming video.

3. Click the Capture button to freeze the image. After the image is frozen,
the Save button is activated.
4. Click Save to save the image as a bitmap to be used in the iNEWS CG
Template Editor window.

242

When using the Capture Tool, the image saved will be exactly 400 x 300
pixels, which is one of two sizes supported for Title Entry templates. There
is no need to adjust the size.

CG Template Editor

5. Select the location in the Save As dialog box where you want to save
the bitmap.

Remember this location, which should be accessible from the PC
running CG Template Editor. You will refer to it later while using the
CG Template Editor.
Repeat this procedure as often as needed to supply the necessary
bitmap images for templates used by the Title Entry feature. After the
bitmaps are saved, you are ready to proceed in making iNEWS CG
Title Entry templates using the CG Template Editor.

CG Template Editor
System administrators should use the CG Template Editor to create
and modify templates referenced by the Title Entry dialog box.
To start the CG Template Editor:

1. Sign on to iNEWS.
2. Select Tools > CG Templates. For superusers, the Edit Title Entry
Template window will open.

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Chapter 9 Character Generator Title Entry

In some cases, a password is required before access to the CG Template
Editor is allowed. See “Title Entry Security” on page 255 for more
information.

Edit Title Entry Template Window
The Edit Title Entry Template window contains several template options,
which can be used to create templates that graphically represent actual
CGs aired from the character generator.
Some options available to the system administrator are:

244

•

Select a bitmap for a CG template background

•

Add, modify, or delete text fields in a template

•

Reorder sequence of text fields

•

Limit editorial access to text fields

•

Modify font size, color, style, and so forth

•

Provide helpful Tool Tip text, which appears in the Title Entry dialog
box when a user positions the mouse over a text field.

Options in the CG Template Editor do not directly affect features of actual
CG templates on the character generator, but should be used to correctly
reflect to the iNEWS user facsimiles of CG templates on the character
generator that are as accurate as possible.

CG Template Editor

The Edit Title Entry Template window’s toolbars—located at the top and
bottom of the window—contain various buttons and drop-down menus,
used to configure template options.

The following table provides details about the toolbar buttons and menus
in Edit Title Entry Template window.
Button or Menu

Options and Explanation

Template drop-down
menu

Options include: New, Open, Save and so forth.
This menu is used to open new or existing
templates, save modified templates, and to close
the window.

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Chapter 9 Character Generator Title Entry

246

Button or Menu

Options and Explanation

Edit drop-down menu

Options include: Background, Add Field, Font
PreSets, and so forth. This menu is used for
adding or deleting items to a template, such as a
background or field, and setting predefined
Fonts.

Logo button

This button is the same as the Background option
in the Edit drop-down menu. It allows the user to
select a bitmap graphic as a template background.

Text Fields button

This button is the same as the Add Field option in
the Edit drop-down menu. It allows the user to
add a text field to a Title Entry template, which
can then be positioned and sized accordingly.

X button

This button is the same as the Delete Field option
in the Edit drop-down menu. It allows the user to
delete the selected text field from a Title Entry
template.

1-2-3 button

This button is the same as the Field Order option
in the Edit drop-down menu. It allows the user to
rearrange the numerical tab sequence of the text
fields in a Title Entry template.

Text Color button

This button is the same as the Text Color option
in the Edit drop-down menu. It allows the user to
change the color of the font used in a text field as
displayed in the Title Entry dialog box.

Justify drop-down list

Options include: Left Justify, Right Justify, and
Center Justify. This list is used to set the
alignment of text in a field. The drop-down list
will continue to display the current setting of the
selected field when the list is closed. The default
is Left-Justify.

CG Template Editor

Button or Menu

Options and Explanation

Editing drop-down list

Options include: Writable, Read Only, Optional
and Required. This list allows the user to
determine whether a field is Writable or Read
Only, and whether it is a required field. If
Required is chosen, the user of CG Title Entry
will be required to fill out the field with text
before saving the production cue. Because the
user is prevented from entering text in a readonly field, if Read Only is chosen, the user of the
CG Template Editor is required to fill out the
field with text before saving the template. Blank,
read-only fields are not permitted. The dropdown list will continue to display the current
setting of the selected field when the list is
closed. The default is Writable-Optional.

Allowed Characters drop- Options include: All characters OK, Uppercase
down list
Only, Lowercase Only, and Define Subset. This
list allows the user to limit the type of characters
allowed in a text field. For instance, if the text
field should only contain numerical sports scores,
then the user could use the Define Subset option
to limit the allowed characters in that field to the
numbers: 0123456789. As shown, do not use a
comma to separate the numbers or it too will be
allowed in the field. The Define Subset option is
case-sensitive.
Font PreSets drop-down
list

Options include: 10 user-definable font display
settings. This list allows the user to store up to 10
font display settings created by the user as
PreSets. These can later be selected when making
new templates with fields that contain the same
size and style of font, saving the user from having
to recreate the font repeatedly. The first font
stored is particularly important because it
becomes the field properties default for the
Template Editor at start up.

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Chapter 9 Character Generator Title Entry

Button or Menu

Options and Explanation

True-Type Fonts dropdown list

Options include: any true-type font installed on
the workstation, such as Times New Roman. This
list allows the user to select a font that matches or
closely resembles the font used on the actual
CGs.

Font Style drop-down
menu

Options include: Bold, Italic, Underline, and
Strike through. This allows the user to define the
style of font used in the selected text field.

Tool Tip field

This field allows the user to type in text that will
appear as a Tool Tip box in the Title Entry dialog
box, when a user positions the mouse over the
text field. For instance, if a user should type only
a person’s name or location in the field, the Tool
Tip text for that field could be: Type Person
or Location Name Here.

Creating a New Template
The CG Template Editor is used to recreate a template that will simulate
the appearance of information sent to actual templates aired by the
character generator. This section assumes those actual CG templates were
already captured as bitmaps and stored in a file accessible to the user
creating a new template. See “Required Bitmaps” on page 239 for more
information.

Since template names must match the alias associated with the actual
CG template number used by the character generator, the aliases must
be defined before opening the CG Template Editor. For instance, if a
user typically types *CG loc1 as the first line of a production cue for
a 1-line location CG, then the Title Entry template created for that CG
should also be named loc1.
Aliases are defined in SYSTEM.RESOURCE. The CG Template Editor
will not start if there are no available aliases to save templates to.

248

CG Template Editor

When the Create Title Entry Template window first opens, it appears with
a graphic that highlights the first step in the process for creating new
templates.

To create a new template from the Create/Edit Title Entry Template
window:

1. Define a temporary background for the template by doing one of the
following:
To create another new
template when an
existing one already
appears in the window,
use the Template dropdown menu, and select
New.

Click the Logo button.

Click the Edit drop-down menu, then select Background.

2. Select a bitmap from the directory where you stored them. This is the
bitmap of the actual CG template you want to recreate in the Template
Editor. See “Required Bitmaps” on page 239 for more information.

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Chapter 9 Character Generator Title Entry

n
If a template already
has a text field and it is
selected, then any new
field added to the
template will follow
size and font styles for
that original field.

The first bitmap you choose should be the one that contains text fields filled
with characters. In upcoming steps, you will use this bitmap to align the
text fields and the font in the template, before replacing it with another
bitmap containing empty text fields.
3. Add a text field by doing one of the following:
t

Click the Text Fields button.

Click the Edit drop-down menu, then select Add Field.

4. Click on the new text field and drag it into position over the text-filled
area pictured in the bitmap—one field per line of text in the bitmap.
You can also adjust the position of the text field by using any of the
following key combinations:
•

Ctrl+Right Arrow

Move field to the right

•

Ctrl+Left Arrow

Move field to the left

•

Ctrl+Up Arrow

Move field up

•

Ctrl+Down Arrow

Move field down

5. Use the mouse to resize the text field to reflect the size of the text area
in the bitmap.
6. Use the True-Type Font drop-down list or the PreSet list to select a
font similar to the font used by the character generator, as seen in the
bitmap.
7. Type the same characters shown in the bitmap into the new text field.
The font may or may not line up exactly over that of the bitmap. To
enable Title Entry to accurately reflect the text as it will appear on
actual CGs, you must align the field and characters with those shown
in the bitmap.
8. Adjust the height and width of the font by using the following key
combinations:

250

•

Alt+Right Arrow

Expand width of font

•

Alt+Left Arrow

Contract width of font

•

Alt+Up Arrow

Expand height of font

•

Alt+Down Arrow

Contract height of font

CG Template Editor

This may take some time and will require experimentation with fonts
and font styles, before the characters align with those of the bitmap.
The goal is to make certain the text field you create in the template has
the same character limit as the area shown in the bitmap when the
exact characters are used in both.
9. Use the backspace key to erase characters from the field once the font
and field alignment is complete.
10. Repeat steps 5-11 as needed for each text field in the template.

If text fields on several CG templates use the same font and field size, you
do not have to repeat steps 9 and 10 with each new template created. You
can duplicate a field (including all its size and font properties) within a
template by holding the Control (Ctrl) key down, clicking on the field, and
dragging its copy to a new location within the template. You can also reuse
field properties by saving them as a Font PreSet, which can then be
selected for use when creating other templates. See “Using Font PreSets”
on page 253 for more information.
11. Determine the justification of text in each field. Select the field and use
the Justify drop-down list.
12. Determine whether a user can write in each field, and whether the user
is required to fill in a field by using the Editing drop-down list. If you
make a field required, then the user must enter some data into that field
when using Title Entry before iNEWS will accept the production cue.
This does not apply to the field while in the CG Template Editor.
However, if you make a field read-only, it must contain some text so
you will be required to put some text in the field while in the CG
Template Editor. Users will be prevented from altering that text in the
read-only field when using Title Entry.
The Read Only option can be used for setting up templates that
standardize certain commonly used CGs. For instance, you have a CG
that has two fields: one for any council member’s name and the second
that should contain the words, City Council Member. But, users
sometimes just write Councilman or worse, they misspell Council. You
could make the second field read only and pre-define the words that
appear in the field.

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Chapter 9 Character Generator Title Entry

n
The Allowed Character
option is case-sensitive.
Also, notice the
example in step 15 does
not include commas,
such as:
1,2,3,4,OT,F
If commas are
included, then commas
will also be accepted in
the field.

If a field is pre-defined on the actual CG template, such as LIVE or FILE, it
should appear as part of the background—saved as part of the
bitmap—not as a read-only field on the Title Entry CG template.
13. Determine which characters are allowed in each text field. Select the
field, then choose from the options in the Allowed Characters dropdown list. If you choose to define your own subset of characters, a
dialog box will appear, where you must then type in only those
characters you want to allow in the field. For instance, you can limit
what a user types into a field for a Sports CG to only characters:
1234OTF—representing 1st-4th quarter, OT for over-time, and F for
final.
14. Type in the text for the field’s Tool Tip. The Tool Tip will appear in the
Title Entry dialog box when the user positions the mouse over that
field. To enter Tool Tip text, click on the Tool Tip field at the bottomright corner of the Edit Title Entry Template window, then type your
text in the field provided. You must press Enter to save the tool tip text.
Alt+L can be used to select and enter data into the Tool-Tip field. Also,
each Tool Tip will appear with a number in the CG Template Editor
window. The number indicates that field’s order in the template. These
numbers do not appear as part of actual Tool Tips over fields of the Title
Entry dialog box.
15. Replace the background of the template with the bitmap of the CG
Template containing empty text fields. To chose another bitmap, do
one the following:
t

Click the Logo button.

Select Edit > Background.

16. Save the template by doing one of the following:

252

Select Template > Save.

Type Ctrl+S.

The template name must match the pre-defined alias associated with
the actual CG template number used by the character generator.
Aliases are defined in SYSTEM.RESOURCE.

CG Template Editor

Using Font PreSets
Font PreSets are a time-saving feature for system administrators using the
CG Template Editor to create Title Entry templates.
After a system administrator sets up a text field and saves it as part of a
template, he can store settings for that field as a Font PreSet. The Font
PreSet can then be selected when the system administrator needs to add a
field with those same settings to another template. For instance, the text
field of a one-line location CG is saved as a Font PreSet, which is later
used to create the first field in a two-line name CG, a two-line live CG, and
so forth, because all fields use the same font style and field size.

You can have a maximum 10 Font PreSets in iNEWS. The first one stored is
particularly important, because it becomes the field properties default for
the CG Template Editor at start up. Save the PreSets for major font/field
variations. Because you are limited to 10, it is not recommended they be
used for minor variations, such as a font color change. You can replace
any Font PreSet with a new one if all of the PreSets are taken.
To save a field as a Font PreSet:

1. Open the template containing the field you want to save as a Font
PreSet.
2. Click on the specific field to select it.
3. Do one of the following:
t

Select Edit > Font PreSets.

Press the F7 key.

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Chapter 9 Character Generator Title Entry

The Manage Font PreSets dialog box will appear, with the first
available PreSet option highlighted.

4. Click Add to save the selected field as a new Font PreSet. The name of
the newly added field will appear in place of existing data on the
highlighted PreSet option.
5. Click OK to close the dialog box.

You cannot save a field’s settings as a Font PreSet until after the field is
saved as part of a template. If you attempt to set a Font PreSet using a
newly created field from an unsaved template, iNEWS will issue the
following advisory.

To delete an existing Font PreSet:

1. Open the Manage Font PreSets dialog box, by doing one of the
following:
t

254

Select Edit > Font PreSets.

Title Entry Security

Press the F7 key.

2. Select the PreSet you want to delete from the list.
3. Click Delete.
4. Click OK to close the dialog box.
To choose an existing Font PreSet for a selected text field:

1. Click the Font PreSets drop-down list at the bottom of the Edit Title
Entry Template window.
2. Select the Font PreSet you want to use for the chosen field.

Title Entry Security
Access to CG Template Editor and CG Title Entry is determined separately
per user account. A user who can use CG Title Entry will not necessarily
have access to CG Template Editor, while another user can be denied the
ability to use both features.

Access to CG Template Editor
Access to CG Template Editor is limited to system administrators, or
superusers, and those who know the password for dbmanager, if that user
account is created by a system administrator. This is the same dbmanager
account that is used to modify database traits. See “The Database Manager
Account” on page 93 and “Changing Database Traits” on page 117 for
more information.
When a non-superuser attempts to launch the CG Template Editor from the
Tools menu, the following dialog box appears:

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Chapter 9 Character Generator Title Entry

If the correct password is not given, then iNEWS will notify the user and
deny access to the Edit Title Entry Template window.

Only one person on the network can use CG Template Editor to edit Title
Entry templates at a time.

Access to CG Title Entry
The availability of CG Title Entry is dependent on two things: cursor
position in the iNEWS Workspace and permission granted in the user’s
account.
When a user’s cursor is in any panel other than the Story panel, the Titling
option in the Tools menu will appear gray, indicating that Title Entry is
unavailable. Additionally, a system administrator, or those authorized with
the umanager password, can limit access to Title Entry.
There is no individual user setting that enables or prevents access to CG
Title Entry. However, those users whose accounts are set as “Simplified”
may be prevented from accessing CG Title Entry.

256

Title Entry Security

To prevent access to CG Title Entry for all simplified users:

1. Sign on as a system administrator, or with your own user account if
you know the umanager password.
2. Select Tools > Options > Users. System administrators will see the
Manage User Accounts window open. Others will be prompted to give
the umanager password first before the Manage User Accounts
window will open.

3. Indicate the user, by providing the User ID. The Search button is
available to help locate the user’s account if the ID is unknown.

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Chapter 9 Character Generator Title Entry

4. Click the Simplified UI button. The Simplified User Interface dialog
box will appear.

5. Click on the Disable Title Entry checkbox to select it.
6. Click OK.

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Chapter 10
System Configuration Files
Information about your iNEWS system’s hardware devices (workstations
and printers), connections (wires and links), and iNEWS Servers is stored
in configuration files. A representative sample of each iNEWS
configuration file is contained in this chapter. A comprehensive list of
sample configuration files is contained in Appendix B. Procedures for
editing configuration files using the line editor, ed are provided in
Appendix H.
This chapter contains:
•

Overview
•

Making a Backup File

•

Viewing System Files

•

Printing a Copy of a File

•

Licensing of iNEWS Components

•

Devices
•

Viewing Information About Devices

•

Configuration File

•

Hosts File

•

System Profiles Files

•

Adding Devices to Your iNEWS System

•

Alternative Editing of the Site Configuration File

•

Intersystem Messaging

Chapter 10 System Configuration Files

Overview
Configuration of the iNEWS newsroom computer system is controlled by
settings stored as text files in the (root) Site directory on the software area
of the system’s hard disk. Files in the Site directory or subdirectories
include:
•

/site/config

•

/site/system

•

/site/wires/

•

/site/printers/

•

/site/dict

•

/site/mcs

Because many system files are located in the Site directory, they are also
referred to as site files.

All files in the Site directory, including the system profile and configuration
file, can contain only Roman characters.
Some other important files are stored in the ETC directory, such as:
•

/etc/dhcpd.conf

•

/etc/hosts

Samples of these and other system files are provided in Appendix B.
Changes to system configuration are made by editing these text files. The
recommended method is at the console using the line editor, ed. Unlike
Microsoft® Word or similar word processing programs, ed deals with text
files on a line-by-line basis.
To learn more about the
line editor, refer to one
of the books available
in bookstores on the
Linux operating system
with sections devoted
to ed.

260

The most likely reason for you to use ed is to modify system files, such as
/site/config or /site/dict/queues. For instance, if you add a
workstation to your system, you will need to add the computer’s
configuration information to the configuration file in the Site directory.
Some procedures for editing certain files are provided in this chapter. For

Overview

further information about the line editor, type info ed at the console.
Additional information, including details on how to use the line editor, ed,
is provided in Appendix H of this manual.

c
n

It is vital that you ensure system files remain identical across all
iNEWS Servers. When you modify a site file, make the same changes
to each server’s copy of the file, or your system will not run properly.
Select all servers before you open a file for editing to ensure changes
you make are applied to each server’s copy of the file.
The Linux graphical X-window login offers additional Linux GUI tools for
system management. Tasks such as changing IP addresses and checking
hardware are much easier within the X-window GUI. However, if all
iNEWS Servers have the GUI installed as part of the Linux installation, it
does take additional resources to run and requires additional hardware,
such as monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Some system managers may not
want to run the GUI full-time so as to reserve memory and other resources
for the iNEWS Server processes.
While the impact of running the GUI is probably not terribly significant on
modern hardware with speedy processors and plenty of RAM, Avid does
not test the software or system performance with the GUI running. This
editing alternative is not required or supported by Avid.
Before editing any system file, you can view, print, and as recommended,
make a backup copy of the file.

Making a Backup File
When you want to make changes to a system file, begin by making a
backup copy of the file, and then edit the backup file. That way, if you
make a mistake during the editing process, your original file version is
preserved.
When copying a file, use this format:
cp

For instance, to copy the configuration file in the Site directory, type:
NRCS-A$ cp /site/config /site/config.test

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Chapter 10 System Configuration Files

Viewing System Files
When viewing a system file, use the more command at the console. The
format is: more
Only part of the
configuration file is
shown here. An entire
example is available in
Appendix B.

For instance, to view your copy of the configuration file, created in the
previous section’s example, type:
NRCS-A$ more /site/config.test

Information similar to the following appears:
host

ab a
net
10
reslist 121
servers 141 201 211

; console connect
; Print, Mail,

Keyword

;
host

...

262

servers
servers
servers
servers
reslist
reslist
reslist
reslist
reslist

231 233
251 253
271 273
281 283
301 303
311 313
321 323
401:402
501:504

ab b
net
reslist
servers
servers
servers
servers
reslist
reslist
reslist
reslist

; 20
122
232 234
252 254
272 274
282 284
302 304
312 314
322 324
601:604

235
255
275
285
305
315
325

241
257
277
287
307
317
327

243 245 ; Seek & FTS
259
; Action servers
279
; Monitor servers
289
; Monitor servers
309
; Txnet
319
; Rxnet
329
; Rxnet
; Web Access
; iNEWS sessions

236
256
276
286
306
316
326

242
258
278
288
308
318
328

244
260
280
290
310
320
330

;
;
;
;
;
;
;
;
;

net connect
Seek & FTS
Action servers
Monitor servers
Monitor servers
Txnet
Rxnet
Rxnet
iNEWS sessions

Overview

The more command allows you to view one page at a time, which is
especially useful for really long files. The cat command may also be
used, particularly for smaller files.
The following example shows the cat command and sample output for
viewing the system profile, a text file stored in /site/system.
NRCS-A$ cat /site/system

The system output looks similar to the following:
NRCS-A$ cat /site/system
id=NRCS
net=abc
lowwater=100000 highwater=105000 purgelimit=5
load=5
pausetimeout=0:05
;
; defaults - if parameter not present these values are assumed
;
unless overridden on the command line.
;
; auto_upgrade=yes
lowwater=100000
remotetimeout=0:00
; clockmax=12
maxhits=500
scriptlhmax=40
; excluded_video=none
min_passwd_length=5
scriptrhmax=40
; highwater=105000
msgserver=silent
security=or
; lastlogin=yes
pausetimeout=0:30
timechar=:
; load=0
purgelimit=0
timer=verbose
; localtimeout=0:00
readrate=180
wordlength=0

Printing a Copy of a File
To send a file to a serial printer instead of viewing it on the console screen,
precede the cat command with print and the number of the printer you
want to use. Use this number to refer to that printer when you print from a
computer connected to the iNEWS system.
For instance, to print /site/config.test on printer number 1, type:
print 1 cat /site/config.test

The list c printer command will list any configured system
printers.
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Chapter 10 System Configuration Files

Licensing of iNEWS Components
Each time the iNEWS newsroom computer system is configured, your
licensing information is checked. This information determines the number
of devices you are authorized to connect to the system. An error message
appears if the configuration file defines more devices than are licensed in
any of the following categories:
•

All serial devices (printers, wires, and so forth)

•

PCUs

•

iNEWS and network workstations

To display your system’s licensing limits, at the console, type:
NRCS-A$ status license -OR- status l (lowercase L)

A message similar to the following will appear on your screen:
A is ONLINE and has been CONFIGURED. ID is NRCS.
System is AB. Master is A.
Disk status is OK. The database is OPEN.
Site Key: 001234
CPUs: 3
PCUs: 2
Serial devices: 8
Workstation addresses: 3000
Workstation resources: 1000
COM resources: 1
Web Access resources: 2
Wire Server resources: 8
Remote Searching allowed.

The Workstation addresses category indicates how many IP
and/or Ethernet addresses can be specified in the
SYSTEM.CLIENT.WINDOWS story. The iNEWS Server will only accept
a connection from a workstation that is identified in the appropriate story;
otherwise, an error is given stating that the workstation is “not authorized
to connect.”
264

Devices

The resources category defines the total number of simultaneous login
sessions. The Wire Server resources line indicates the number of wire
server resources allowed for the Avid Data Receiver.

When the system is configured, if the number of IP addresses present in the
SYSTEM.CLIENT.WINDOWS story exceeds the number of addresses, a
diagnostic is produced. The system will be configured. This differs from
exceeding other license limits.
To change license allowances, contact an Avid sales representative.

Devices
The iNEWS newsroom computer system supports the following types of
devices:

The server listed here is
not the same as the
computers used as
iNEWS Servers,
typically given names
with the station’s call
letters and an A, B, or
C. For instance,
NRCS-A.

•

Workstation – The PC device on which a user can log in to the iNEWS
newsroom computer system known as an iNEWS Workstation.

•

Printer – A device that prints stories and scripts. The iNEWS
newsroom computer system supports serial and Windows printing. It
also supports the ability to print to a queue in the iNEWS database.

•

Wire – A device that processes wire service stories in the database.

•

WireServer – A device that allows an Avid Data Receiver instance to
connect to the iNEWS newsroom computer system.

•

Service – A device that allows a user to connect to another computer
system from a workstation.

•

Server – A utility program that performs tasks on stories in a queue,
based on defined instructions. Supported server types are action,
distribution, parallel wire, monitor, and keyword. Other servers
facilitate searches, mail, and printing. See “Servers” on page 14-1 for
more information. <--Fix XREF

•

Rx/Tx Network Link – Device designed for receiving or transferring
stories between computer systems.

•

COM – A (connection) device used by some Avid applications, such as
MOS Gateway, to communicate with the iNEWS Server.

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Chapter 10 System Configuration Files

•

Remote Search – A device that allows iNEWS users to search content
on a remote iNEWS newsroom computer system.

Viewing Information About Devices
To view information about devices connected to your system, use forms of
the list c console command. The console command list c prints
information to the console screen about configuration of a device or
devices. The format for this command is:
list

c []

The device type or device number is optional. If you do not enter them, you
get a list of the configuration information for all devices in your system.
When you type list c at the console, information similar to the
following appears:
DEV

DEVICE_TYPE

COMPUTER CCU

C60

pcu

A-pcu60

PRINTER SPEED OPTIONS

S200 monitor

N200

S401 txnet

A-net

N401

N522

DEVNAME
pcu60

txnet

...
S522 seek

If you follow list c with the name of a program, iNEWS lists every
device on your system that uses that program.
For instance, to find out how many devices use the action server program,
type:
list c action

266

Devices

Information similar to the following appears:
DEV

DEVICE_TYPE COMPUTER CCU

PRINTER SPEED OPTIONS DEVNAME

S344 action

N344

S345 action

N345

To list configuration information for device number 344, type:
list c 344

A message similar to the following appears:
DEV

DEVICE_TYPE COMPUTER CCU

S344 action

PRINTER SPEED OPTIONS DEVNAME
N344

List C Message Columns
There are eight columns in the list c messages.
•

DEV

•

DEVICE_TYPE

•

COMPUTER

•

PCU

•

PRINTER

•

SPEED

•

OPTIONS

•

DEVNAME

Each column is explained in this section.
DEV

– Lists the device number. The number is preceded by a
capital letter identifying the type of device.

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Chapter 10 System Configuration Files

The device identifiers (the first element of the display under DEV) are
defined as follows:
Identifier

Web browsers

COM devices

iNEWS Workstation graphical user interface

Serial resource (line)

MCS driver, MCS PC

Printer

Network resource

Remote Search devices

Server, special

Unused

Wire

DEVICE_TYPE

– The program that runs the device. For instance,
workstations have gnews listed in this column.

COMPUTER

– Identifies the computer to which a PCU (or a device,
through its PCU) is attached. For instance, a network
PCU running on computer A and using the network
name pcu10 would have A-pcu10 in this column.

The COMPUTER column also indicates on which computer server a
service or server (utility) program is running.
PCU

268

Supported Device

– Contains the PCU device number and port on that
PCU to which the device is attached. For instance, a
device connected to port 4 on PCU 20 has 20-4 in
this column. If the device is a PCU, only its device
number appears here.

Configuration File

PRINTER

– Lists the printer number assigned to the device. For
instance, a terminal assigned printer number 2
would have 2 in this column. Wires display a join or
raw option.
Servers and specials use this column to indicate
which mailbox they use to receive notifications. For
instance, a txnet link with notification mailbox 189
would have N189 in this column.

SPEED

– Indicates the bps rate used for communication
between a device and its PCU.

OPTIONS

– Lists any modifiers to the device’s speed, such as bits
per character, parity, and handshaking. For PCUs, a
P is listed.

DEVNAME

– Lists the device’s name, if it has one, which can be
used for group membership and placed in the
DEVNAME field of stories.

Configuration File
The configuration file (/site/config) is a system road map. It lists all
devices, servers, and resources configured to run on your system and how
they are connected. If a device is not in the site configuration file, the
system will not know about it and cannot use it. Standard devices and
resources you may configure in this file include terminals, printers,
iNEWS Workstations, and wire services.
Each server for your system has a copy of this file that it reads when it
starts up and when you execute the configure command. However, it is
only the configuration file on the master computer that is active and used
when the system is started up.

Whenever you make changes to a site file, such as the configuration
file, be sure to select all servers in your system at the console. Unlike
database stories, site files are not automatically mirrored from one

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Chapter 10 System Configuration Files

computer’s disk to another. See “Selecting Servers” on page 33 for
more information. Also, see Appendix H for information on using the
line editor, ed, to make changes to site files.
An example of a configuration file is located in Appendix B.
The site configuration file is divided into two major sections: the host
section and the device section (or body). The host section contains
information about various configurations your system can run, and devices
used in each of those configurations.
The format for each host section is:
host

Parameter

Description

System configuration

Refers to whether the system is running single,
dual, or triple. For instance, a standard
installation with two iNEWS Servers runs in a
dual configuration: AB. Installations with three
servers are known as triple systems, and
normally run in ABC configuration.
Refers to the particular iNEWS Server in the
system that runs in this configuration. The
iNEWS Servers are computers connected to the
console, run the iNEWS application software,
and contain the iNEWS database. See “Selecting
Servers” on page 33 for more information.
Refers to devices configured on that particular
iNEWS Server in that system configuration
(Communicate via the network).
Refers to resources configured on that particular
iNEWS Server in that system configuration.

computer

net

reslist

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Configuration File

Parameter

Description

servers

Refers to various utility programs called servers
that are configured to run on that particular
iNEWS Server in that system configuration. This
term should not be confused with the computers,
also called servers, which run the iNEWS
application software. See “Servers” on page 407
for more information.

The top host section details the device, resource, and utility program
numbers that run on the A server in a dual AB configuration. The second
host section details ones assigned to server B.
Information in the third and fourth host section is used by the system if one
of the servers fails. In the sample site configuration file, the host a a
section contains a list of all the devices, including ones normally assigned
to server B. If server B experiences a failure and is shut down, the system
can be reconfigured to run all devices, resources, and servers (utility
programs) on A. The host b b section contains a list of all the devices,
including ones that normally run on server A, in case that server
experiences a failure and is shut down.
When you run the configure command, the master computer (usually
server A) looks at the current system configuration and then assigns
devices listed for each iNEWS Server in that system configuration to each
iNEWS Server.
In the sample /site/config file, the odd numbered devices are
assigned to server A and even numbered devices are assigned to server B in
a dual AB configuration.
Any item number listed in the host section must have a corresponding line
in the device section or body of the configuration file, and vice versa. For
instance, if you are adding an iNEWS Workstation resource to the body of
the file, you must also add it to one or more host sections so the system
knows which server would be responsible for it under various conditions.

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The following table shows some of the more common device configuration
lines.
Type

Number Speed

Printer

Program Name

Comment

gnews

–

;iNEWS Workstation (PC)

–

;laserjet4

inws

301

–

printer

9600

wire

9600

anpa7

–

;AP wire

wireserver

801

news

–

;Data Receiver instance

line

38400-8na

modem

hayes

;dialout

line

38400-8na

radio

direct

;serial to WXYZ radio

resource

226

console

–

server

211

monitor

211

–

;6pm show

server

233

action

233

–

;action server

server

234

mail

234

–

;mail server

server

235

action

–

;timed action

special

19200

mct

–

200

;MCTerminal

special

220

txnet

220

–

;txnet to archive

special

9600

telex

telxl

;telex

driver

9600-8nh

infindriver

CG1

driver

9600-8nh

qpboxdriver SS

;Picturebox

mcspc

mcspc1

infindriver

CG2

;Chyron 2

com

701

–

gnews

–

;Component client

com

702

10.2.1.35

gnews

–

;Component client

rsearch

703

–

gnews

–

;Remote Search client

rsearch

704

10.2.1.35

gnews

–

;Remote Search client

272

;net connect

;Chyron 1

Configuration File

The number of configured com resources are limited to the number of
license com resources and rsearch resources are only allowed if Remote
Searching is licensed; the number of rsearch resources are not
otherwise limited by license. If Remote Searching is not allowed, the
system will not be configured if there are any rsearch resources defined.

Changing the Configuration File
Whenever you add, remove, or modify devices on your system, you must
make corresponding changes to the configuration file—also referred to as
the /site/config file. Changing this file requires the use of the line
editor. See Appendix H for more information.
To edit the configuration file:

1. Select all servers. See “Selecting Servers” on page 33 for more
information.
2. Type:
ed /site/config

3. What information is edited in the file depends on the device.
Editing procedures for specific devices are provided in later sections of
this chapter. See “Adding Devices to Your iNEWS System” on
page 285 for more information.
Do not use an
uppercase (W) in step 4.

4. Type w to write (save) your changes to disk.
5. Type q to quit the line editor.

Testing the Site Configuration File After Changing
Whenever you make changes to /site/config, always run a test on the
changes to ensure there are no problems with the new configuration. By
doing so, the test will warn of problems or if license limits are exceeded.
Some configuration problems will prevent system configuration and
startup.

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To run the test, use the configure console command in the following
format:
configure

System refers to the set of servers that make up your iNEWS system, while
computer is the server whose configuration you have changed. In
“Changing the Configuration File” the procedural example showed steps
for adding a workstation to PCU 10, which is connected to server A in an
AB (dual server) system.
The following example shows the command for testing the configuration
of server A in an AB system:
NRCS-A$ configure /site/config

ab a

When the prompt returns, the configuration file has been checked. If the
system detects any errors, it displays bad configuration messages.
To help you debug the file, the output displays the line numbers of any
lines that have errors.

Incorporating Configuration Changes
After testing, to put the new configuration into effect:

1. Stop any devices affected by the new configuration.
2. Take the system offline by typing:
offline

3. Configure the system, using the following command format:
configure (master computer)

4. Bring the system back online by typing:
online

5. Wait for messages from the system being configured, and then restart
the newly added devices or any devices affected by the new
configuration.

n
274

If you change the type of device on a PCU port, the entire PCU may need
to be stopped and restarted.

Hosts File

To list contents of the site configuration file, at the console type:
cat /site/config

The configuration file that appears on your screen is similar to the sample
provided in Appendix B.
Semicolons precede comments and blank lines separate sections.
The sample file in Appendix B (to which we refer throughout this
explanation) may not match your system’s file exactly, but it contains
examples of the different kinds of entries you may find in your file.

On lines of the /site/config files where device numbers are listed, a
range of numbers may be specified—two numbers separated only by a
colon (:). This is useful at sites with many resources, servers, and sessions.
For instance, the resource line below shows device numbers listed
individually, then the line is repeated, showing how it may appear as a
range.
reslist 100 100 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109
reslist 100:109
Similarly, you can specify a device range for definitions, such as:
inws 201:210 - 1 gnews ; iNEWS Workstation (PC)
This is equivalent to 10 lines, each with a different device number, with all
other information on the line applying to each device definition. If an IP
address is specified, a device range cannot be specified.

Hosts File
The hosts file (/etc/hosts) is a road map to other computers on the
network that your iNEWS Servers need to know about or
communicate with. It lists IP addresses of other computers and the
computers' names, along with any alternate names or aliases by
which the other computers are known. Workstations need not be
listed in the hosts file, but putting them in will maintain an
inventory of already used IP addresses. If a computer is not listed in
the hosts file, the iNEWS Servers will not know about it. This
includes PCU units, archive computers, routers, and mail gateways.

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An example of a hosts file is located in Appendix B.

System Profiles Files
For your system’s servers to work together, they need access to basic
system information, such as how many computers are in the system and
how the computers are connected. Each server must also have access to
system parameters, such as the default read rate and script margins. This
information is kept in system profile files whose names reflect the
information they contain. For instance, information about wires is kept in
/site/wires and information about printers is kept in
/site/printers.
Sample system profile files are in Appendix B. The most important
of these profile files is the system profile(/site/system), which is
discussed in the sections that follow. When you start your system,
each server reads its copy of the system profile and incorporates the
material into its operation.
An example of the system profile is provided in “Viewing System Files” on
page 262.
The system profile contains several parameters. Each parameter begins
with an identifying keyword, followed by an equal sign (=) and the
parameter’s value. When an iNEWS Server reads its system profile, it finds
each parameter’s value by searching for the keyword that represents that
parameter.
For instance, to find the system ID, each server searches its system profile
for the keyword, id, and reads the parameter associated with that keyword
located after the equal sign. If the server searched the system profile in the
example on page 262, it would find that NRCS was the parameter
associated with the keyword, id.
Most, but not all, parameters have default values the system uses if the
parameter is not present in the system profile. Consequently, a system
profile usually includes only parameters that you want to set differently

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System Profiles Files

from their default values, and those that have no default values and must be
set in the system profile. Your system profile may not contain the same
parameters as the example.

Changing the System Profile
System profile parameters are configured in the system when servers are
connected. After the system profile in /site/system is modified, the
system should be shut down and restarted to get the servers to read the
modified system profile.
For instance, to change the localtimeout parameter in your system profile
file, do the following at the console:
This procedure, which
modifies the
/site/system file
uses ed, the line editor.
If you do not know how
to use ed to modify
lines in the file, please
see Appendix H.

1. Select all servers. See “Selecting Servers” on page 33 for more
information.
2. Type:
ed /site/system

A message similar to the following appears:
editing /site/system
213

3. Find the line that contains the localtimeout parameter, such as:
scriptrhmax=20 localtimeout=45:00 remotetimeout=30:00

4. Change the 45:00 value for that parameter to 15:00:
scriptrhmax=20 localtimeout=15:00 remotetimeout=30:00
Do not use an
uppercase (W) in step 5.
See Appendix H for
more information.

5. Type w to write (save) your changes to disk.
6. Type q to quit ed.

When you modify your system profile, separate parameters from each other
with spaces, tab spaces, or carriage returns.
7. Shut down the system, and then start it up again.
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When you start the system, each server reads its system profile and
incorporates parameters in that file in its operation.

You must reboot the servers and connect the system to get the servers to
read the system profile file.

Listing Parameter Settings
To find out which parameters the system is using:

1. At the console, type status all. This command displays the
system profile settings the system has incorporated in its operation.
Information similar to the following appears:
A is ONLINE and has been CONFIGURED. ID is NRCS.
System is AB. Master is A.
Disk status is OK. The database is OPEN.
System was last configured at 2004-04-19 13:53:49
Dbtraits changes recorded at 2004-04-02 13:06:36
auto_upgrade=yes
clockmax=12
excludedvideo=none
lastlogin=yes
load=5
localtimeout=0:00

maxhits=500
min_passwd_length=5
pausetimeout=0:05
readrate=180
remotetimeout=0:00

scriptlhmax=40
scriptrhmax=40
security=or
timechar=:
wordlength=0

The status all command lists values for all parameters defined in
the profile, except for the low and high watermarks and the purge limit.
Parameters not explicitly defined in the system profile will appear in
the list with their default values.
To list current low and high watermarks and the purge limit, type:
cat /site/system
See “Viewing System Files” on page 262 and “System Profile
Parameters” for more information.

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System Profiles Files

System Profile Parameters
Each system profile description below includes information about the
values that parameter can have and whether or not the parameter has a
default value. If there is a default value, it is underscored. If a
parameter does not have a default value, you must give it a value in the
system profile.

The connect command can override anything in the profile by adding
= on the connect command line.
auto_upgrade=[yes | no]

Determines whether a user running an outdated version of the iNEWS
Workstation (client) software is allowed to upgrade it automatically. If
set to no, it means users of outdated software are not asked if they want
to upgrade. The default is auto_upgrade=yes.
clockmax=[12 | 24]

Determines how backtimes/cumetimes (cumulative) are displayed—12
or 24-hour format. While the iNEWS Workstation always displays
these times in 24-hour format, this setting is used by various utility
(server) programs whenever a date/time is formatted, such as when an
action server processes a mailto command and a story is sent as an
email message. It used by system printing as well. The default is 12.
excludedvideo=[director | none]

Determines the handling of director video when received in Story
Exchange Protocol (SEP) format. If set to none, this text is converted
into bold italic text. If set to director, the text is converted into closed
caption (CC) text.
highwater=<# of block units>

(2500)

Establishes the upper limit to which dbserver attempts to rebuild the
free list. Set this parameter far enough above the low watermark so the
system is not in danger of slipping beneath that mark. The number you
enter represents actual blocks of database space, where a block is one
kilobyte. For instance, a high watermark of 6250 (recommended for
most systems) represents 6250 blocks. The default value is 2500.

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id=

Gives the system a name. The system uses this name in some of its
messages and in the prompts. The system name defined here must
match that used in the /etc/hosts file (a file used by networking
software), must be in uppercase, and can be up to eight characters
long. There is no default value, so you must set it in the system profile.
lastlogin=[yes | no]

Lets you suppress on a user’s workstation display of last time user was
logged in. Setting no accomplishes this; the default is lastlogin=yes.
load=

(0)

Specifies the maximum numerical difference the system tries to
maintain between network connections from Windows-based clients
on different servers in your system. This is called load balancing, and
it is intended to keep one server from handling a much higher number
of connections than any other server.
For instance, if you set this parameter to 5, the system distributes
connection requests so the difference in the number of connections is
no higher than 5. If you had 2 active connections on server A, and 7 on
B, the next request to connect to B would be shifted to A. Connection
requests for A would be allowed, until the number of connections on A
was 5 more than on B.
The default value for this parameter is 0, which means load balancing
does not occur.
localtimeout=

(00:00)

As a security precaution, your system automatically logs out
workstations if they are idle longer than the time set in this parameter.
If a story is open at an idle workstation, the system saves the story
before logging out the workstation. Setting localtimeout=00:00
prevents the system from logging out workstations. This is the default
setting if it is not set in the system profile.
The localtimeout parameter is set in minutes and seconds. For
instance, to have the system log out any workstation idle for more than
two hours, set this parameter to 120:00. The maximum value is 540
minutes.

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System Profiles Files

lowwater=<# of block units>

(1250)

Establishes minimum disk space that the system tries to keep available
for immediate use. Use it with the highwater and purgelimit
parameters to control how the system recycles space in the database.
Set this parameter in units of actual database blocks, where a block is
one kilobyte (1KB). For instance, a low watermark of 5000
(recommended for most systems) equals 5000 blocks of database
space.
If the number of blocks in the free list falls below the low watermark,
the system runs dbserver to reclaim the oldest stories from the Dead
queue, recycling the space onto the free list. This continues until the
free list is restored to the high watermark. If you do not include this
parameter, the system uses the default value of 1250 blocks.
master=

Designates one of your system’s servers as the master computer, which
controls all database activity and performs the majority of
housekeeping, such as running dbpurge every hour and invoking
dbserver when low on space.
Generally, this parameter is left out of the system profile, causing the
system to designate as the master computer the server whose name is
alphabetically first (usually server A). You can specify a server as the
master computer using the connect console command. The format is:
connect master=
maxhits=
(500)

Defines maximum number of hits, or matches, that a background
search—including Fast Text Search (FTS)—can find. For instance,
setting this parameter to 50 limits the total number of hits in a single
search to 50. The maximum number you can specify is 32765. If you
do not assign a value, the system uses a default value of 500.
min_passwd_length=

(5)

Defines minimum password length for your users. For instance, setting
min_passwd_length=6 prevents users from creating passwords
shorter than six characters. The value may range between 1 and 12
characters. This does not apply to passwords you assign with the
utraits command, but if you assign a password that is too short, the
user will be forced to change it the next time he or she logs in. The
system uses 5 as the default value.
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msgserver=[silent | verbose]

Used only for debugging. To find out whether or not a mailbox is
working, set this parameter to verbose. This causes the console to
display a message whenever activity occurs in a queue with a mailbox
assigned to it. Change this parameter while the system is running using
the msgdebug command. The default setting is silent. This prevents
messages regarding mailbox activity from being displayed.
name=

Each server must have a unique name (either A, B, C, or D) to
distinguish it from the other servers in the system. Typically, assign
these names during the startup process using the connect console
command—connect a for server A, and so forth—so it need not
appear in the system profile. There is no default value assigned.
net=

If your system’s servers are connected over an Ethernet network,
include this parameter in the system profile. This allows you to specify
all servers in the network. For instance, in a system using three servers
named A, B, and C, this parameter would be set to net=abc in the
system profile.
Include this parameter only if your servers are connected on a network.
Using this parameter precludes use of the single parameter. There is no
default value assigned.
pausetimeout=

(00:30)

Sets a default value for the PAUSE command, which is used in some
keyboard definitions. Users can override this default value. If not set,
the system assumes a value of 30 seconds.
purgelimit=

(0)

If dbserver reclaims all space available in Dead queue without
restoring the free list to the low watermark, it begins to purge old
stories by making a series of passes through the database. On each
pass, dbserver temporarily decreases each queue’s purge interval by
one hour and removes any stories older than the new purge interval. It
continues doing this until it has rebuilt the free list to the high
watermark or reaches the purge limit.

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System Profiles Files

The purge limit sets the maximum number of passes dbserver can
make through each queue. The total number of hours dbserver can
purge from a queue is equal to the queue’s purge interval minus your
system’s purge limit.
Use the purge limit to prevent dbserver from purging everything from
important queues in its attempt to build up the free list. For instance, if
you set the purge limit to two hours, queues with a 3-hour purge
interval retain at least one hour’s worth of stories, even in a low-onspace situation.
You can set the purge limit between 0 and 24. If not set, your system
uses a default value of zero hours, which prevents dbserver from
purging any queue beyond its purge interval.
readrate=

(180)

Sets the system’s default read rate. When you add a user to the system,
the Add New User dialog box will default to a read-rate of zero, which
will be replaced by the /site/system read rate when needed. After a user
has been added, you can change the user’s read rate using the Modify
User Account dialog box. See “Modifying User Traits” on page 62 for
more information. If not set, the system uses a default read rate of 180
words per minute.
remotetimeout=

(00:00)

This time-out value also applies to all connect sessions, including
sessions that connect a workstation at your station to another service.
If a story is open when the system logs out the workstation, the story is
saved. Disable the automatic logout of connect sessions by setting this
parameter to 00:00. The maximum value is 540:00. The default
that the system uses is 00:00 if this parameter is not included in the
system profile.
scriptlhmax=

(40)

Sets default width of left column of a scripted story. The width is set as
a number of characters from the left side of the screen. For instance, a
value of 20 causes the left column of a scripted story to be 20
characters wide, beginning from the left edge of the workstation
screen. The allowable range for this value is 2 to 78, inclusive. If not
set, the system uses a default value of 40.

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scriptrhmax=

(40)

Sets default width of right column of a scripted story. The width is set
as a number of characters from the end of the left column. For
instance, a value of 20 causes the right column of a scripted story to be
20 characters wide, beginning from the end of the left column. This is
not the same as scriptrhmax in the printer profile. The allowable
range is 2 to 78, inclusive. The sum of the scriptlhmax and
scriptrhmax values must not be greater than 80.
If not set, the system uses a default of 40. These settings are used
during system printing and provide defaults when not defined in the
profile or style.
security=[and | or]

Indicates how your system determines group access of a particular user
with a particular workstation (or other device). If set to and, both user
and workstation must be members of the same group for the user to
gain access to directories or queues assigned to that group. If set to or,
the user can access any database items assigned to groups containing
either the user or workstation. The default value is or.
single=

Tells the system it is running on only one server and names that server.
If your system consists of a single server, include this parameter.
Generally, in systems with only one server, the name is A, and this
parameter is set to single=a.
timechar=

(:)

Defines the character the system uses to separate hours, minutes, and
seconds in time displays. For instance, using a colon as the time
character displays the time as hh:mm:ss. A colon is the default.
timer=[silent | verbose]

Your system contains a timer program that is always running. If this
parameter is set to verbose, the server sends a time display to the
console every 15 minutes.
A

Sat Apr

3 14:45:00 2004 iNEWS

verbose is the default setting, so do not include when you want
timer messages to appear. To disable time displays, include this
parameter as timer=silent.

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All time values in the system profile must be set in minutes and
seconds in the format :. Set a value for both minutes and
seconds. For instance, to specify a time of two minutes, type: 2:00. To
specify a time of 25 seconds, type: 0:25.
wordlength=

(0)

This determines the word counting strategy used. If set to zero, the old
word counting strategy is used; if set to a non-zero value, the new
character counting strategy is enabled. This is the number of characters
that are counted as one word. When counting, the system divides the
character count by the wordlength to determine the number of
“words” in the story.

Adding Devices to Your iNEWS System
When you add a device, such as a new printer, to your iNEWS system, you
need to put information about it in the appropriate configuration file(s).
This section gives you information about how to do that. It includes
complete procedures for adding PCUs, workstations, printers, and wires.
For information about adding connect services, see the iNEWS Operations
and Troubleshooting Manual.

Adding a PCU or PC-PCU
This section contains information about adding a Peripheral Controller
Unit (PCU) to your system.
There are two kinds of PCUs: older models in rack-mount cases and newer
models in standard PC cases. The latter is referred to as a PC-PCU. A PCPCU can be an ordinary PC with special additional hardware to give it
more serial ports.
See Appendix D for more information.

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To add a PCU or PC-PCU to your system:

1. Choose a device number.
By convention, PCU device numbers are multiples of 10. Choose the
next available multiple of 10. If the system already has four PCUs,
numbered 10 through 40, use 50 as the device number for the new
PCU. See “PCU Device Numbering” on page 290 for more
information.
2. Connect PCU or PC-PCU to network.
3. Add appropriate host definitions in the configuration file—that is
/site/config. See “Changing the Configuration File” on page 273
for more information.
The net line in each server’s host definition begins with the word net.
Follow this with a list of network PCUs or PC-PCUs that you want to
run on that computer.
For instance, in the host definitions shown below, PCUs 10 and 20 are
network PCUs running on server A, while PCUs 30 and 40 are
network PCUs running on server B.
host
;
host

ab
net

a. Add new PCU to server B, so its host definition looks like this:
host

ab
net

b
30

b. Add new PCU to the appropriate alternate host definitions.
4. Add a PCU or PC-PCU line to the configuration file
/site/config.
The configuration line must begin with the word pcu (or pcpcu)followed by the device number and name. These are followed by
a list of the devices connected to the it. The following shows an
example of the format for a configuration line:
pcu ...

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Adding Devices to Your iNEWS System

Parameter

Description

device #

The device number. It must be listed in a host
definition. By convention, this is a multiple of 10.

name

The name of the PCU or PC-PCU. Can be any string, as
long as it begins with a letter and is no longer than six
characters. Names that appear in the configuration file
must match those listed in your /etc/hosts file.

End the configuration line with a list of connected devices, with their
numbers separated by spaces. The order in which you list devices must
correspond to the ports to which they are connected—the device
connected to port 1 must be first, the device connected to port 2 must
be second, and so on.
You can include up to eight devices in a PCU configuration line. By
convention, the device number is the sum of the port number and the
PCU’s device number. See “PCU Device Numbering” on page 290 for
more information.
Fill unused ports with hyphens (-).
Add the line following the device lines for PCU 50. Because devices
are not connected to the new PCU, the line would look like this:
pcu

50 pcu50 -

5. Add the PCU to the /etc/hosts file.
A PCU’s name must be a valid Internet name. It must resolve to an
Internet address, either by being included in the hosts file or by an
Internet name server.
An example PCU line from the hosts file may look like this:
125.0.10.50 pcu50

The hosts file also contains lines identifying each server in your
system. An example of the /etc/hosts file is provided in
Appendix B.
6. Add the PCU to the /etc/dhcpd.conf file.

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You must list each PCU running on your system in the file
/etc/dhcpd.conf.
An example of this file
is installed on the
server with the iNEWS
software.

Format of a PCU entry in the file is:
host {
hardware ethernet ;
fixed-address ;
}
Parameter

Description

name

Put the name, such as pcu50, in this position. This
must match the entry in /etc/hosts.

Ethernet address The Ethernet address is found on its Ethernet card.
IP address

Put the fixed IP address in this position.

A typical entry in /etc/dhcpd.conf may look like this:
host pcu50 {
hardware ethernet 00:d0:b7:4b:52:f8;
fixed-address 125.0.10.50;
}

The semicolons after the Ethernet and IP addresses are required. Also, the
entire PCU entry, starting with word host and ending with the closing
brace (}), must be inside the subnet entry for the network the PCU will
be connected to.
An example of a /etc/dhcpd.conf file with entries for both a
PCU and an MCSPC is provided in Appendix B.
7. (Optional) Use the configure command to test your changes.
Use the following form of the configure command:
configure

/site/config

In the previous example, PCU 50 is added and running on server B in
an AB system. To test this change, type:
configure /site/config ab b

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When the prompt returns, the configuration file has been checked. If
the system detects any errors, it displays bad configuration
messages.
8. Select the master computer (typically server A). See “Selecting
Servers” on page 33 for more information.
9. Become a console superuser. See “The Console Superuser” on page 23
for more information.
10. Take the server (master computer) offline by typing:
NRCS-A# offline

11. Reconfigure the system by typing:
NRCS-A# configure

A message similar to the following will appear:
Apr 5 15:41:49 NRCS-A msg System being configured

12. When the prompt returns, bring the server online again by typing:
NRCS-A# online

13. Exit superuser mode. (Ctrl+D)
14. Use the restart command followed by the PCU’s number to start
the new PCU or PC-PCU. For instance, for PCU 50, type:
NRCS-A$ restart 50

The system reports Hot-to-go messages.
For Rack mounted PCUs, the final LED display indicates the PCU’s
number.
At this point the PC-PCU has broadcast its bootp request. If it is on the
network and the iNEWS Server is properly configured to respond to
the PC-PCU,obtains its IP address and the following is displayed:
ethernet address: 00 20 AF 9F DD A5
internet address: 125.1.10.30
LEDS 00000

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After the PC-PCU has been properly configured and can be restarted from
the console, the monitor and keyboard may be removed. However some
PCs will not boot with the keyboard removed so before removing the
monitor and keyboard, it maybe necessary to go into the CMOS setup of
the PC to adjust its boot-up behavior.
15. (Optional) Back up your site files with the sitedump command.

PCU Device Numbering
Each PCU and device connected to it must have a unique device number.
Use device numbers to refer to devices when using commands such as
restart and when adding configuration lines to your configuration file.
Your system uses device numbers in its console messages, such as
failed to load device 11.
You can randomly assign different numbers to devices, but system
maintenance is simpler if you give each device a number that corresponds
to the PCU port to which it is connected. The numbering convention
described here has been established to make your system maintenance
work easier.
Network PCUs are usually given device numbers that are multiples of 10.
These numbers are usually sequential and begin with the number 10. So, in
a system with four network PCUs, the PCUs would have 10, 20, 30, and 40
as device numbers.
When your system was installed, each device connected to a PCU was
given a number that is the sum of the PCU’s device number and the
number of the PCU port to which the device is connected. For instance,
you would give a wire connected to port 1 on PCU 10 device number 11. A
printer connected to port 5 on PCU 20 would have device number 25.
Numbering your system’s devices in this way lets you quickly determine
which PCU—and which port on the PCU—a device is connected to just by
looking at the device’s number.

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Adding a Workstation
To add any type of new workstation to your system:

1. Choose a device number for the workstation—determine the next
available number in the range you have set aside for these devices.
2. Connect workstation to network.
3. Add workstation to the configuration file stored on each server in your
system.
Add the workstation’s device number to a reslist line in the host
definitions.
To configure a workstation, use the format:
inws gnews
Parameter

Description

device #

Workstation’s device number.

address

If you use a hyphen (-), this resource is available to any
licensed PC on your system. If you place an IP address
here, this resource can be used only by the PC with that
address. Additionally, this can be the Ethernet address
assigned to the PC’s network card.

printer #

Default printer. This number must be assigned to a printer
listed in the configuration file. Entering 0 has the
workstation print to a printer connected directly to the
workstation.

device name

A device name up to eight characters used for group
security. If you assign a device name to a workstation, you
can grant security permissions to the workstation by
adding that name to the appropriate group story.
When someone edits and saves a story at this workstation,
its device name is placed in the devname field (if one
exists) in the Story Form panel. If you do not want to give
the workstation a device name, place a hyphen (-) in this
position.

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4. (Optional) Use the configure command to test your configuration
changes. The syntax is:
configure

/site/config

For instance, type:
configure /site/config ab a

When prompt returns, the configuration file has been checked. If the
system detects any errors, it displays appropriate bad
configuration messages.
5. Reconfigure the system.
a. Select the master computer (typically server A). See “Selecting
Servers” on page 33 for more information.
b. Become a superuser. See “The Console Superuser” on page 23 for
more information.
c. Take the server (master computer) offline by typing:
NRCS-A# offline

d. Reconfigure the system by typing:
NRCS-A# configure

A message similar to the following will appear:
Apr 5 15:41:49 NRCS-A msg System being configured

e. When the prompt returns, bring the server online again by typing:
NRCS-A# online

Exit from superuser mode. (Ctrl+D)

6. (Optional) Back up site files with the sitedump command any
time you add a device.

Adding a Printer
You can connect any kind of serial printer to the iNEWS system, and
configure each printer to take advantage of its special features.
For more information about printers, see Chapter 11.

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Even if you never add a printer to your system, this information can help
you if you need to move a printer to a different PCU or modify a printer’s
profile.
To add a printer to your system:

1. Choose a device number for the printer. To do this, find an available
PCU port to which you want to connect the printer. For instance, if we
add a printer, such as HP LaserJet, to port 7 on PCU 10, we give the
printer device number 17. See “PCU Device Numbering” on page 290
for more information.
2. Connect printer to PCU.
3. Create a printer queue in the database in the SYSTEM.PRINTERS
directory. If you do not complete this step, any print requests to the
new printer will not be processed. This is done at an iNEWS
Workstation. See “Adding a Directory or Queue” on page 99 for more
information.
Here’s an example: The new printer is printer number 4, so the new
queue is called 004. The entire pathname is:
SYSTEM.PRINTERS.004.

Your system can handle up to 500 printers. Print queues for the first 250
printers are in the directory SYSTEM.PRINTERS. Print queues for the
next 250 printers are in SYSTEM.PRINTERS2.
4. Return to the console to finish adding the printer.
5. Add the printer to the configuration file, /site/config, on each
iNEWS Server in your system.
This involves adding the printer’s device number to the PCU’s
configuration line and adding a device configuration line for the
printer.

If you move a printer to another PCU, you must remove the printer’s
device number from the old PCU’s configuration line and add it to the new
PCU’s configuration line. Give the printer a new device number that
reflects the new PCU port to which you attached it.

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This procedure, which
modifies the
/site/config file
uses ed, the line editor.
If you do not know how
to use ed to modify
lines in the file as
required in step 5, see
“Configuration File” on
page 269 and
Appendix H.

a. Select all servers. See “Selecting Servers” on page 33 for more
information.
b. Type:
NRCS-A$ ed /site/config
editing /site/config
1259

c. Add printer’s device number to list of device numbers in the PCU
configuration line. For instance, for a printer connected to port 7
on PCU 10, the printer’s device number (17) is added to PCU 10’s
configuration line. At first, the line may appear similar to this:
pcu

10 pcu 10 11

16 - -

Ensure that you place the new device number in the position that
represents the port to which you connected the printer. For
instance—for the printer with device number 17—the printer’s
device number is placed in position 7 in PCU 10’s configuration
line. The new line should look like this:
pcu

pcu10

d. Add a configuration line for the new printer. By convention,
configuration lines are arranged according to device number. For
instance, the configuration line for the printer with device number
17 would be placed after the configuration line for device 16.
A regular printer configuration line uses the format:
printer

294

Parameter

Description

device #

The printer’s device number. It identifies the printer to which
the configuration line applies. Include this number in the
appropriate PCU configuration line.

speed

Sets the baud rate (bits per second) at which the printer
communicates with the PCU.

printer #

Assigns a logical printer number to the printer. Used in
workstation configuration lines to identify the printer that
devices use as their default printer. This is not the same as
the printer’s device number, but it is the same number that
you use to refer to the printer when you print to it from an
iNEWS Workstation.

Adding Devices to Your iNEWS System

For instance, the printer uses device number 17 and communicates
at 1200 baud, 7-bit, even parity, and users will refer to this printer
as printer 4. So, the new printer line looks like this:
printer
Do not use an
uppercase (W) in step 6.
See Appendix H for
more information.

1200-7e

;newsroom HP LaserJet

6. When you finish making changes to the configuration file, you must
save your changes before exiting the line editor. To do this, type:
w

After you press Enter, a number will appear representing the file size,
such as:
1306

7. Exit the line editor by typing:
q

8. Create a profile for the printer.
The easiest way to
create a profile is to
copy the standard
profile for the type of
printer you are adding
to a file for the new
printer’s profile. Then
make any necessary
modifications to the
copy you just made.

A printer’s profile must be in a file with the same name as the printer’s
device number. Also, this file must be located in the
/site/printers directory.
For instance—for an HP LaserJet printer connected to port 7 on PCU
10—you would copy the standard profile for the HP LaserJet
(/site/printers/hplaser) to a new file called
/site/printers/17. Then modify the profile so the system can
use a font module that has been added to the printer.
To copy a profile to a new file:
a. Select all servers. See “Selecting Servers” on page 33 for more
information.

As with all site files, each of the system’s servers must have its own
copy of the printer’s profile, so ensure that you select all servers before
you copy the standard profile.
9. Use the cp command to copy the standard profile, such as
/site/printers/hplaser for an HP LaserJet printer into a new
file on each server, such as /site/printers/17.
The format for this command is:
cp

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The entire command line would look similar to this:
cp /site/printers/hplaser /site/printers/17

10. Use the cat command to examine the file and determine whether you
need to make any changes or additions. The format is:
cat

For instance, to examine the file for the printer connected to port 7 on
PCU 10, type:
NRCS-A$ cat /site/printers/17

A message similar to the follow will appear:
; HP LaserJet IVsi Printer profile
;
ejectcode

ejectcount
1
idlecount
0
pagelength
66
scriptrhstart
32
scriptrhmax
23
scriptlhmax
25
scriptshift
yes
scripttemplate
no
;
expand
(OU(sp7.0h18vs0b11T ;Courier
;
font 2
(s3B
(s0B
;Bold
font 3
(s4B
(s0B
;Extra Bold
font 4
&dD
&d@
;Underline
font 5
&dD(s3B&d@(s0B;Bold/Under
;
form 7
&100(s10H(s12V ;landscape
form 8
&l1H

;top tray
form 9
&14H

;lower tray

11. (Optional) Test your configuration changes by using:
configure

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Adding Devices to Your iNEWS System

For instance, a printer is added to PCU 10, which is connected to
server A in an AB system. To test this change, type:
configure /site/config ab a

12. When the prompt returns, the configuration file has been checked. If
the system detects any errors, it displays bad configuration
messages.

After editing the configuration file, you should reconfigure the system.
However, if you modified only an existing printer’s profile, you need only to
restart the printer to incorporate the changes. You may skip to step 14.
13. To have the system adopt changes you have made to the configuration
file, reconfigure it by doing the following:
a. Stop the PCU. For instance, to stop PCU 10, type:
stop 10

b. Select the master computer (typically server A). See “Selecting
Servers” on page 33 for more information.
c. Become a superuser. See “The Console Superuser” on page 23 for
more information.
d. Take the server (master computer) offline by typing:
NRCS-A# offline

e. Reconfigure the system by typing:
NRCS-A# configure

A message similar to the following will appear:
Apr 5 15:41:49 NRCS-A msg System being configured

When the prompt returns, bring the server online again by typing:
NRCS-A# online

g. Exit from superuser mode. (Ctrl+D)
14. When you see the System being configured message, select
the server to which the printer’s PCU is connected and restart that
PCU.
Use the restart command in this format:
restart
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For instance, to restart the PCU 10, type:
NRCS-A$ restart 10
NRCS-A$ P10: 12:43:20 Hot-to-go

When you see a Hot-to-go message for the printer, as shown in the
previous example, you can begin to use it. If there are any errors in the
profile, the system reports them on the console when you restart the
printer.
15. (Optional) Back up site files using the sitedump command.

Adding a Wire
The iNEWS system supports the ingest of wire services in two ways:
•

Through a PCU port

•

Through an Avid Data Receiver wireserver resource

To add a wire for a PCU port, you must complete four phases in the setup.

You can edit just a wire
service’s profile.

298

•

Phase 1 - Connect the wire service to a PCU port.

•

Phase 2 - Create an entry for the wire service in the configuration file
and a wire profile for the wire service.

•

Phase 3 - Add the wire distribution information.

•

Phase 4 - Restart the wire service’s program to incorporate the changes
you made, so it can begin receiving and distributing wire
stories.

More information about wires is provided in Chapter 12, “Wires”. For a
step-by-step procedure outlining the four phases for adding a wire service
on a PCU port, see “Adding a Wire – PCU Port” on page 358. For more on
setting up wire ingest using the Avid Data Receiver, see “Adding a Wire –
Avid Data Receiver” on page 354.

Alternative Editing of the Site Configuration File

Alternative Editing of the Site Configuration File
The line editor is used at the console to edit site files, which are located on
an area of the server’s hard disk known as the software partition. If these
files, such as the /site/config file, are temporarily transferred to the
iNEWS database located on an area known as the database partition, you
can use an iNEWS Workstation to edit the file. Here is the alternative
method of editing a site file, such as the /site/config file, in the
database rather than using the line editor:
1. At an iNEWS Workstation, create a transfer queue—that is, go to a
directory, such as the System directory, and create a new queue to hold
the configuration file. A SYSTEM.TRANSFER queue may already be
set up on your system. See “Adding a Directory or Queue” on page 99
for more information.

When performing this procedure, there should be only one file—the one
you are working on—in SYSTEM.TRANSFER.
2. At the console, use the doc command to transfer material between the
software and database partitions.
The doc command format is:
doc -pu

For instance, to transfer a copy of the configuration file to the
SYSTEM.TRANSFER queue, type:
doc -pu system.transfer /site/config

3. Return to an iNEWS Workstation.
4. Log in as a system administrator. (This is to ensure that you have
access to the System directory.)
5. Navigate to the SYSTEM.TRANSFER queue and open it by double
clicking on it.
6. Select the configuration file story in the queue and edit it in the Story
panel.

If you are adding devices in the bottom section of the configuration file, do
not forget to also add the device numbers in the hosts section at the top.

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7. Move file from database partition back to software partition using the
doc command again. The format is:
doc -gu >

For instance, to move the new configuration file from the
SYSTEM.TRANSFER queue back into the Site directory, type:
doc -gu system.transfer > /site/config.new

The example shows the file is transferred into a temporary location
(/site/config.new rather than /site/config). This allows for
testing prior to actual file implementation.
8. Use the configure command to test the new configuration file, to
see if there are any problems with it. If none are found, you will get the
system prompt; otherwise, you will get an error message.
Here are some sample configuration tests:
configure
configure
configure
configure
configure

/site/config.new
/site/config.new
/site/config.new
/site/config.new
/site/config.new

abc a
ab a
a a
bc b
ac c

9. Copy the new configuration file into the correct location:
cp /site/config.new /site/config

10. Remote copy it to the other server(s):
rcp /site/config NRCS-B:/site/config
rcp /site/config NRCS-C:/site/config

11. Implement the new configuration by reconfiguring the system from the
master computer (typically server A).
a. Select the master computer.
b. Take the system offline by typing:
NRCS-A$ offline

c. Reconfigure the system by typing:
NRCS-A$ configure

d. Take the system back online by typing:
NRCS-A$ online

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Intersystem Messaging

12. Return to the iNEWS Workstation and delete the configuration file
from SYSTEM.TRANSFER.

Usually, iNews Customer Support technicians edit the configuration
file on the console, in the software partition. If you leave a copy of the
file in the database, it is possible someone may change the file on the
console, so when you come back to edit the file in the database (which
you assume to be the more current version), it will actually be an
outdated version. To eliminate the possibility of confusion, delete the
file from the database when you are done.

Intersystem Messaging
Intersystem Messaging is a feature that allows a user to exchange messages
with another user on a separate iNEWS newsroom computer system, or
other third-party system with a compatible interface.
On iNEWS systems, intersystem messages can be sent from iNEWS
Workstation sessions, and from the console send utility. For intersystem
messaging to work, a system must have an agent that functions as
described in the following section. For iNEWS, this agent is integrated into
the iNEWS Server software.
RFC (Request For
Comments)
documentation is
provided at the
following Web sites:
http://sunsite.
auc.dk/RFC or
http://www.rfceditor.org/

To receive intersystem messages, a system must have a TCPMUX service
running. TCPMUX is defined by RFC 1078, “TCP Port Service
Multiplexer (TCPMUX).” Additionally, the system must have an
intersystem message service configured.

Sending Intersystem Messages
An intersystem send is attempted whenever a message send request has a
recipient name which includes an at symbol (@). It is assumed that this
represents a name in @ format. This is

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the same format used for sending mail to a user on a foreign system, such
as the Internet. The parameter can be an IP address in
standard notation, such as 172.161.131.2.
The system name is resolved to an IP address through standard lookup
services.
A TCP connection to port 1 of the system is attempted. Port 1 is the “well
known port” (as defined in RFC 1700, “Assigned Numbers”) assigned to
the TCPMUX service.
After the connection is established, the string
inter_system_message is sent. The receiving system
sends + to indicate a positive
acknowledgement. This conforms to RFC 1078.

The service name—in this case, inter_system_message—is never
case-sensitive and is any text that helps to explain the
reason for the response.
The sending system can then send the following string:
SEND

In this string, the user name and sender’s name do not contain any spaces,
carriage returns, or line feeds. The names are as they are used within their
respective systems. The sender’s name should be suitable to use as the user
name in an intersystem message reply. The message text can contain
spaces but not carriage returns or line feeds. It is optional (so you can
check the logged-in status of the user). The iNEWS system will truncate
this string at the first line feed or at 72 characters.
After sending the intersystem message, the sending system should read a
single line, which is the receiving system’s response. On receipt of the
response, the sending system should close its connection. See “Receiving
Intersystem Messages” on page 303 for more information.
The sending system should be prepared to handle all of these error
conditions:

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Intersystem Messaging

•

Time out on establishing connection to the receiving system’s
TCPMUX port

•

The receiving system actively refusing the connection on the
TCPMUX port

•

Connection closed by the receiving system at any time

•

A negative response - to the
inter_system_message request. This is a negative
TCPMUX response, and is any text that helps to
explain the reason for the response.

Receiving Intersystem Messages
To receive intersystem messages, a system must respond to connections on
the TCPMUX port. On Linux systems, this is done by having a TCPMUX
service defined in /etc/services and /etc/inetd.conf.
To hook an intersystem message service into the TCPMUX service on a
Linux system, an entry must be included in the /etc/inetd.conf,
such as:
tcpmux/+inter_system_message stream tcp nowait

The inter_system_message string is the identifier used by the
sending system to select this service. This string is not case sensitive.
The plus character (+) preceding inter_system_message tells the
inetd daemon to handle the initial connection and negotiation. In this
case, when the inetd daemon determines that it has an intersystem message
agent, it will perform the positive acknowledgement (the +...
response) and then invoke the agent program.
The agent program must be prepared to respond to the “SEND” command,
as described above.
The iNEWS agent program is /exc/ismessage. The suggested
parameter for the iNEWS intersystem message agent is ism. This
parameter can be anything and is used to identify the program in messages
printed to the system’s console. If an additional parameter is supplied and
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it is a non-zero decimal string, the /exc/ismessage program is put into
a verbose mode. When in verbose mode, the /exc/ismessage program
will print its responses onto the system console. This can be used to track
frequency and identity of intersystem messages.

The actual message text is not printed onto the console.
For iNEWS, the /etc/xinetd.d/ismessage file contains:
# default: on
# description: The ism server serves iNEWS InterSystem
Message requests.
service ismessage
{
id
disable
flags
socket_type
wait
user
server
log_on_failure+
}

=iNEWS-ismessage
=no
=REUSE
=stream
=no
=root
=/exc/ismessage
=USERID

Responses from the receiving agent program must conform to the
following syntax:
<3-digit response code>

The 3-digit response code is modeled on FTP response codes (See Section
4.2 of RFC 959, “File Transfer Protocol”).

However, only single line responses are expected. The explanation is any
text excluding a carriage return – linefeed (cr-lf), which makes the
response better understood.
The receiving agent program will generate one of the following responses,
with the iNEWS receiving agent including the following explanations:
201 is logged in

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Intersystem Messaging

Message stored for the specified user (if there is message text) and the
user is currently logged in. User is notified of message arrival.
202 is not logged in

Message stored for the specified user (if there is message text) and the
user is not currently logged in.
421 System not online

System not connected, not configured, or not online. Message is
discarded.
430 No such user:

Username unknown on receiving system. Message is discarded.
450 Message save failed for:

Failed to properly store the message for the specified user. Message is
discarded.
500 Syntax error, command unrecognized

The first “word” on the line was not “send.” The check for the word
“send” is case insensitive. Message is discarded.
501 Syntax error, insufficient parameters

The “send” line has fewer than three space-delimited tokens.
Minimally “send”, , and are
required, is optional. Message is discarded.
The iNEWS receiving agent will print diagnostics to the system’s console
when abnormal conditions are encountered. The diagnostics are:
ism: getpeername failed ()

The sender’s IP address could not be determined.
ism: fgets error ()

The read failed for the send command.
ism: gethostbyaddr failed ()

The sender’s IP address could not be converted into a host name.
Errno is the Linux system error number returned on system function calls
and errno string is an explanation of that error code.

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The iNEWS receiving agent will accept intersystem messages directed to
the user’s computer. Messages addressed to “computer” will be printed on
the system’s console. The word “computer” can be localized using the
message dictionary token M_COMPUTER. A 201 computer is
logged in response will always be returned for messages directed to
“computer.”
Database Change
The iNEWS message file format includes the sending system’s IP address
for intersystem messages. When upgrading an iNEWS newsroom
computer system, a dbdump of the message file should be done to
preserve the message file content. After upgrading, a dbgen x (x
identifies the message file) command must be done. A dbrestore can
then be done to restore the message file.
iNEWS Workstation Session Behavior
There is virtually no difference between sending local messages and
sending intersystem messages. If the recipient’s name contains an at
symbol (@), name validation is not performed and an intersystem send is
attempted.
The only difference on receiving messages is that the complete sender’s
information is always returned. If it is a local message, a simple user name
is provided. If it is an intersystem message, the sender’s name will be
formatted as @.

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Chapter 11
Printers
Each printer on your system has a profile that contains the commands
iNEWS needs to control the printer, plus settings for options you may use
with the printer. When you restart a printer, your system checks its profile
for the necessary information. There are two types of printing that require
configuration: system and local printing. Managing both are covered in this
chapter. For information on how to connect a printer to iNEWS, see
“Adding a Printer” on page 292.
This chapter contains:
•

System Printing

•

Creating and Using Print Styles

•

Local Printing

•

Managing Printers

Chapter 11 Printers

System Printing
A system printer is connected to an iNEWS Server and not directly
connected to an iNEWS Workstation. Users can send print jobs to a system
printer from any iNEWS Workstation on the network. System printers can
be customized by configuring certain system profile files and forms.

The Printer Profile Files in /site/printers
Printer profiles are text files in the /site/printers directory. Your
system is installed with standard profiles for many popular printers.
To see which printer profiles are installed on your system, go to the console
and type:
ls /site/printers

Information similar to the following appears:
15
17
25
35
45
55
65

81
95
adx
apcarbon
apcarbonra
autocue
epson

facit
generic
genicom
hplaserjet
la120
laser
laser.bold

laser2
laser3
laser4
magnum2rev
nec
okidata
printronix

rawprint
ti820
ti850
ti855
ti880
today
today-script

This list contains numbered and alphanumeric filenames. Alphanumeric
files are the standard profiles for several different types of printers. For
instance, ti855 is the standard printer profile for the TI-855 printer.
Numbered files are profiles your system uses to operate your printers.
Numbered files in the list correspond to device numbers of printers in your
system. For the system to find the correct profile for each printer, the
profile must be stored in a numbered file corresponding to the printer’s
device number. For instance, a printer whose device number is 17 must
have its profile in a file named /site/printers/17.

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System Printing

The standard profile for an HP LaserJet printer is in
/site/printers/hplaserjet. To list this file, type:
cat /site/printers/hplaserjet

Information similar to the following appears:
NRCS-A: cat /site/printers/hplaserjet
;HP Laserjet IVsi 14SEP00
;
ejectcode

ejectcount
1
idlecount
0
pagelength
66
scriptrhstart 32
scriptrhmax
23
scriptlhmax
25
scriptshift
yes
scripttemplate no
;
expand
(0U(sp7.0h18vs0b11T
;
font 2
(s3B
(s0B
font 3
(s4B
(s0B
font 4
&dD
&d@
font 5
&dD(s3B &d@(s0B
;
form 1
E

form 7
&l0O(s10H(s12V
;form 8 &l1H

;form 9 &l4H

;

;Courier
;Bold
;extra bold
;underline
;bold/Under
;reset
;landscape
;top tray
;lower tray

The first half of the file contains options that control margins, headers,
form feeds, and page length. The second half contains fonts and forms. The
fonts section defines control codes that select print effects, such as bold or
underlining. The forms section defines codes that set up the printer, such as
control codes to select a font module or set print quality.
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Control codes often use nonprinting characters such as the one generated
by the ESC key. All control codes in the profile above begin with the
character produced by the ESC key. Because this key does not produce a
printing character, enter it in the file as .

Customizing Print Effects (Fonts)
To turn print effects—such as bold or underlining—on and off, the iNEWS
system must send control codes to the printer. Control codes are defined as
font in a printer profile.
A profile can have up to 10 fonts, numbered from 1 to 10. Each font
defines the control code to turn on an effect and the control code to turn off
the effect. Usually, a font defines the control codes for one effect. However,
you can combine control codes for effects, such as bold and underlining, to
create complex fonts.
Defining a Font
Each font is defined on a separate line in a printer profile. The definition
must begin with the word font followed by the font number, which must
be between 1 and 10. This is followed by the control code that turns on the
effect, a few spaces, and the control code that turns off the effect.
Style stories select fonts by number, and any printer can use them. If you
have a style story that expects font 1 to represent bold text, define font
1 as bold in all your printer profiles.
For instance, to create a bold font, start a line with font 1, followed by
the code to turn on bold printing. For an HP laser printer, the code would
be (s3B. Follow that with a few spaces and the code to turn off
bold printing (s0B. The finished definition looks like this:
font 1

310

(s3B

(s0B

;bold print

Assign fonts consistently in all your printer profiles, such as font 1 is
bold; font 2 is underlined, and so on.

System Printing

Combining Print Effects
In many cases, you can combine two or more print effects by creating a
font containing the print effects control codes. Follow the font name with
control codes to turn on the print effects you want. Follow these codes with
a few spaces and control codes to turn off those print effects.
For instance, the HP LaserJet printer can print both bold and underlined
text. It uses (s3B and s0B to turn bold on and off and
&dD and (&d@ to turn underline on and off.

When you combine several print effects in one font, no spaces can occur
between control codes that turn on all print effects. Additionally, no spaces
can occur between control codes that turn them off.
For instance, combine two effects to create a font, such as font 5, that
prints bold and underline as follows:
font 5
&dD(s3B
;bold, underline

&d@(s0B

Defining Print Forms
When you send a story to a printer, your system must first initialize the
printer to prepare it to print according to the style you select. Define each
of the control codes that represent initialization commands as form. For
instance, define codes that select draft quality printing as form 1 and
codes that select letter quality printing as form 2. You can define up to 10
forms in a printer profile. See “Selecting Forms” on page 329 for more
information.
Each form contains on and off control codes for a different setup
command. Usually, a form contains control codes for one setup command,
but you can also combine control codes for different commands, such as
select both letter quality and a font module.

Forms may seem to be the same as fonts, but forms are used strictly to
initialize the printer. Therefore, use a form to set a printer to word
processing mode before printing, but not to turn on bold printing.

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Defining a Form
You define forms similarly to fonts. Each definition begins with the word
form followed by the form’s name. The form’s name contains a number
between 1 and 10. This is followed by a control code that initializes the
printer, a few spaces and, optionally, an off control code.
The form’s on control code is sent at the beginning of the print job, and the
form’s off control code is sent at the end of the job.
Each setup option has an on control code. Many—but not all—have an
off control code. If the setup option you are defining does not use an off
control code, you must put a where the off control code would be
located.
Always name forms consistently in each printer profile. For instance, in
each profile define form 1 as draft quality.
Suppose that you are creating a profile for your HP laser printer and want
to define a form that sets up the printer in landscape mode. Define this as
form 7.
Begin the line with form 7, and follow with the control code that puts the
printer in landscape mode. For an HP laser printer, the control code is:
<&10o(s10H(s12V

The HP laser printer needs landscape mode turned off at the end of a print
request, so follow the on control code with E. The finished line
should look like this:
form 7

&10o(s10H(s12V

E ;landscape

Combining Setup Options
As with fonts, you can combine two or more setup options in one form.
You do this in the same way you would combine options for fonts. See
“Combining Print Effects” on page 311 for more information.

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System Printing

Font and Form Space Available
The system reserves about 400 bytes of space for form and font definitions
for each system printer profile. Each character in a font or form
definition—including the spaces to separate on and off control codes and
the Enter character at the end of each line—uses space.
If you exceed the limit, the message Maximum Definitions
Already Made appears when you try to start the printer.
If you see this message, free some space by deleting forms or fonts from
that profile that you do not use. Alternatively, comment out any forms and
fonts you are not using by placing semicolons in front of them.

Printer Profile Options
Besides defining forms and fonts, you can set a number of options in the
profile to be used when a print request is sent to the system printer. These
options control formatting, such as the number of lines on each page,
whether or not the text is all uppercase, whether stories have a banner at the
top of each page, and so on.
These options fall into two categories:
•

Profile-only options are set in the printer profile.

•

Profile and style options are also set in the printer profile, but can be
temporarily overridden if a different value is specified in a style story
within the database.

Almost all of these options have default values the system uses if you do
not set the options.
For options pertaining to local printing, see “Local Print Style Options” on
page 340.

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Profile-Only Options
Profile-only options are set in the printer profile, and cannot be overridden
in a style story. Use options beginning with the word auto only with an
autocue printer, which produces teleprompter roll copy according to
European standards—that is, printing only the audio portion of a script.
The underlined item or number in parenthesis is the default value.
The profile-only options are described in the following table.
Option

Description

answerback Use with printers that require the system to send a
specific message and then expect a certain answer back
from the printer before sending the story to the printer.
There is no limit on these strings.
autofield

(S)

Determines which form field of the story is used as a
header line when printing the story. The default value is
the title field (S). This is a Video Terminal (VT)
template field identifier character, not a field name.

autoindent (0)

Sets the number of spaces to indent each line (as a
printing offset) on an autocue printer. The default value
is 0.

autolength (30)

Sets the maximum length for lines of text on an autocue
printer. The default value is 30.

autopara (3)

Controls the number of spaces an autocue printer
indents each paragraph. The default value is 3 spaces.

autospace (3)

Controls line spacing for an autocue printer. A value of
1 produces single-spaced text. A value of 2 produces
double-spaced text. A value of 3 is the default and
produces lines of text separated by two blank lines.

autoshift [yes | no]

Controls whether an autocue printer prints in uppercase
or mixed case. When the value is yes, it uses uppercase.
If set to no, text is printed as entered. The default value
is yes.

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System Printing

Option

Description

done (Dead)

Specifies the queue where a print request is sent after
the print job is done. The default value is the Dead
queue.

ejectcode

Lets the system know which codes it must send to the
printer to execute a form feed. There is no default for
this option, so you must explicitly define the eject code
in the printer profile.

ejectcount (1)

Selects the number of times your system sends the eject
code to the printer at the end of each print request. The
default is 1.

exlines (0)

Printers that print double-high text, such as the
Printronix P300, use one extra line per line of expanded
text. Use this option to set the number of additional
lines used when printing expanded text with the print
script command. The default is 0.

expand

Defines control codes that turn a printer’s expanded text
mode on and off. The system uses this option when
someone prints a story using the print script
command. If you do not define these control codes in a
printer’s profile, or if a printer cannot print expanded
text, the system prints scripts in normal text.
To set up, begin a line with expand. Follow that with
your printer’s control codes to turn on expanded
printing, a few spaces (or a tab space), and the control
codes to turn off expanded printing. For instance, if the
code to turn on expanded printing is P and the
code to turn it off is Q, define expanded printing
like this:
expand
P
expanded

font

;(DP)

Defines control codes that turn on or off print effects,
such as bold or underlining. See “Customizing Print
Effects (Fonts)” on page 310 for more information.

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Chapter 11 Printers

Option

Description

form

Defines control codes that represent initialization
commands, such as selecting draft quality. See
“Defining Print Forms” on page 311 and “Selecting
Forms” on page 329 for more information.

idlecount (0)

Determines the number of ejects (as defined by the
ejectcode and ejectcount options) to be performed once
all pending print requests have been printed. The
default value of 0 prevents the system from ejecting a
page at the end of a print request.

initprint

The system uses these codes to initialize the printer
when you restart it. This may be lost when the printer is
powered off.

map

Use to translate or map a database character to a
character the printer can print. Useful if you need
characters such as ¿ and £, which are available on many
printers but have a different code in the printer.
To map a translation of a database character, begin a
line with map. Add a few spaces and enter in the
database character you want to translate. Add a few
more spaces and enter the code you want the system to
send to the printer in place of that database character.

n
sbc_frames

Indicates the number of video frames transmitted in one
second. This value is used when calculating the
duration of a tape event. There is no restriction on this
value. However, Phase Alternate Lines (PAL) video
format transmits 25 frames per second and National
Television Systems Committee (NTSC) video format
transmits 30 frames per second. This Sony barcode
parameter is required.

316

The printer code is a single byte and not a
sequence of bytes.

If printer type is Sony-beta, sbc-frames must
be defined. Otherwise, a Missing required
barcode parameter message will appear.

System Printing

Option

Description

sbc_max_duration <[hh:]mm:ss:ff>

This Sony barcode parameter has two functions. It is
used to determine the maximum segment duration time
if raw time code is being used to calculate the segment
duration, which is calculated as the End Of Message
(eom) time code minus the Start Of Message (som)
time code. It is also used to check if a duration time
entered from the template does not exceed the duration
entered in the profile. In the format, hh is hours, mm is
minutes, ss is seconds, and ff is frames. The
maximum time allowed is 23:59:59:ff, where ff
is the value found in sbc_frames. This Sony barcode
parameter is required.

If printer type is Sony-beta,
sbc_max_duration must be defined.
Otherwise, a Missing required barcode
parameter message will appear.

sbc_som

Enables the user to determine a constant Start Of
Message (som) timecode. The maximum value
permitted is 23:59:59:ff, where ff is the value
found in sbc_frames. This Sony barcode parameter
is optional.

sbc_eomstyle [|]

Enables a user to specify a constant End Of Message
(eom) style. A user can declare a constant hour field or
a constant frame field. It is not possible to declare both.
The format ends with either HH:mm:ss:ff, where HH
is the constant hour field value or hh:mm:ss:FF,
where FF is the constant frame field. The mm and ss
parts of the format are literal. If you specify a number
of hours, you must put ff for frames. If you specify a
number of frames, you must put HH for hours. This
Sony barcode parameter is optional.

sbc_bulkprint

Permits printing of multiple Sony barcode labels, when
the command print story is entered from the
directory level.

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Chapter 11 Printers

Option

Description

scriptshift [yes | no]

Controls whether scripts are printed in uppercase. The
yes option prints scripts in uppercase; no prints scripts
as is. The default is yes.

type [generic | autocue | adx | sony_beta|
beeline]

Defines European Autocue, ADX, generic, beeline, and
Sony Barcode printers. If the profile is for any of these
printers, use this option to specify the printer. The
default value is generic.

Profile and Style Options
The options in the following table are set in the printer profile, but can be
overridden by settings in a style story. Generally, use a printer profile to set
these options to the values you want the system to use as defaults for a
particular system printer. When you create a style story, you need only
include these options to use a value different from the one defined in the
printer profile.
Option

Description

banner [yes | no | continuous]

Controls whether each page begins with a header that
includes the name of the user who printed the story, the
time, and the page number. If you want a banner, set this
option to yes. The default value is yes.
When you print a queue, your system numbers each story
in the queue, beginning with page one by default. To
make the page numbers continuous, set the banner option
to continuous.

blanks (3)

Controls the number of blank lines the system prints
following each story when printing a directory. A value of
1 results in single spacing (no blanks between stories), a
value of 2 gives double spacing, and so on. The minimum
value is 1. The default value is 3.

pagefooter []

Use to include a footer on each page of printed output.

pageheader []

Use to include a header on each page of printed output.

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System Printing

Option

Description

pagelength (65)

Determines the number of lines printed on a page before
the page is ejected. Specify a value of 1 for no page
breaks. Other valid values are 6 through 255. The system
uses the default if you specify an invalid value. The
default value is 65.

printform [yes | no | all]

Controls whether a story’s form is included in the printed
output. The yes option prints the form at the top of the
first page only; no prints the story without a form; and all
prints the form at the top of each page of the story. The
default value is yes.

n
printscriptform [yes | no | all]

Template is an alias for printform. Both are
recognized.

By default, a script is printed with only the title, page, and
presenter fields at the top of the first page. To print the
entire form on the first page, set this option to yes.
The printscriptform all option causes the entire
form to be printed on each page of the script. The
printscriptform no option causes the script to be
printed without any form information.

Scripttemplate is an alias for
printscriptform. Both are recognized.

scriptlhmax (28)

Sets margin of left (production cue) portion of a script.
Adjust this value if you are changing from a script printed
in normal text to a script printed in expanded text. The
default value is 28.

scriptrhmax (25)

Controls the right margin of a script. Normal settings are
from 20 to 30. The default value is 25.

scriptrhstart (29)

Sets starting column of right (audio) portion of a script. If
you are using normal-sized print, column 40 is the
midpoint of a page and the value generally used. If you
use expanded print, use a smaller value to accommodate
the larger text. The scriptrhstart printer-profile
option differs from the scriptrhstart parameter in
the system profile. The default value is 29.

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Chapter 11 Printers

Option

Description

scriptspacing (2)

Sets spacing used between lines of printed text when
printing a script. Use a value of 2 for double-spacing. Use
a value of 1 (the minimum value) for single-spacing. The
default value is 2.

separator [yes | no]

Specify whether a row of equal (=) characters is printed
after a story’s form to separate it from the text of the story.
The default value is yes.

spacing (2)

Controls line spacing of printed stories. Set the value to 1
for single-spacing, or 2 for double spacing. The default
value is 2.

Standard Header and Footer Options
Use the pageheader and pagefooter options to include headers and footers
in printed stories. You can put your header and footer stories anywhere in
your database. Group header stories in a queue called SYSTEM.HEADERS
and group footer stories in a queue called SYSTEM.FOOTERS.
To create a header or footer, enter the text into the story as you want it to
appear on the printed page. The total number of lines in the header and
footer combined cannot be more than half of the pagelength value.
For instance, if the pagelength is 66, the combined number of lines in
the header and footer cannot be more than 33. If the header/footer
combination exceeds half of the pagelength value, the system truncates
header and footer lines so that both fit on the page.
To select a header in a printer profile or a style story, use the
pageheader option. The format for this option is:
pageheader

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System Printing

The queue name is the full pathname of the queue containing the header
story you want to use. The header name is generally the title of the story in
that queue containing the header. It is defined by the Header queue’s
sorting index field, whose default is the Title field. For instance, to select a
header from SYSTEM.HEADERS called am-script, use the following:
pageheader

system.headers

am-script

To select a footer story in a printer profile or a style story, use the
pagefooter option. The format for this option is:
pagefooter

The footer name is generally the title of the story in that queue containing
the footer. It is defined by the Footer queue’s sorting index field, whose
default is the Title field. For instance, to select a footer from
SYSTEM.FOOTERS called am-script, use the following:
pagefooter

system.footers

am-script

Profiles and styles interpret spaces as delimiters; give your header and
footer stories titles that do not include spaces and left-justify them in the
title field.
User-Selected Headers and Footers
You can also let the user select the header or footer when the story is
printed. To enable this, the story must have a form field where the user can
enter the header or footer name.
To set up a profile or a style so the user can select a header or footer, use
the pageheader or pagefooter options. Put an equal sign followed
by a field name as the header or footer name.
For instance, suppose your Scripts queue has a form with a field called
footer where users can enter the title of the footer story they want to use.
Set up the pagefooter option in the printer’s printer profile:
pagefooter

system.footers

=footer

When someone uses that printer to print a story, the system looks for a
story in SYSTEM.FOOTERS with the name entered in the story’s footer
form field. The name must be an actual story in the queue named in the
pagefooter option, or the footer is not printed.
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Profile Option Defaults
Many profile options have default values.These options and their default
values are shown in the following table. Some of these profile options also
have minimum values. Options for which defaults or minimum values do
not apply are marked n/a.

322

Option Name

Default

Minimum

Maximum

answerback

n/a

autofield

n/a

autoindent

n/a

autolength

n/a

autopara

n/a

autoshift

yes

n/a

autospace

n/a

banner

yes

n/a

blanks

n/a

done

n/a

ejectcode

n/a

ejectcount

n/a

exlines

n/a

expand

n/a

idlecount

n/a

initprint

n/a

map

n/a

pagefooter

n/a

pageheader

n/a

System Printing

Option Name

Default

Minimum

Maximum

pagelength

255

printform

yes

n/a

printscriptform

n/a

scriptlhmax

scriptrhmax

scriptrhstart

scriptshift

yes

n/a

scriptspacing

n/a

separator

yes

n/a

spacing

n/a

type

generic

Setting this parameter to autocue/
adx/sony_beta/beeline
changes the program behavior for a
special purpose.

Using Special Characters in a Profile
Some printers use control codes that include nonprinting characters, such
as those produced by the Escape and Enter keys.
Others use characters such as semicolons (;), pound signs (#), and at (@)
symbols, which have a special meaning for your system or your system’s
console. You must enter these characters in your profile in a special way.
Using Nonprinting Characters
A nonprinting character is one that does not show up on your screen. You
can add a nonprinting character to a profile either by alias or by decimal
value.

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Adding Nonprinting Characters by Alias

Your system recognizes a number of aliases for many of the nonprinting
characters you may use in a printer profile. These aliases are two- or threeletter abbreviations that represent different characters. For instance, esc
represents Escape (ESC) and cr represents Enter.
When you put an alias in a printer profile, you must enclose it in angle
brackets (< >) so that your system recognizes it as an alias. For instance,
enter a font that used the Escape and Enter characters as follows:
font

Adding Nonprinting Characters by Decimal Value

You can represent any character by its decimal value. Enter the character’s
decimal value in angle brackets (< >) where you want it to appear in the
profile.
For instance, Escape has a decimal value of 27, and Enter has a decimal
value of 13. Accordingly, you could enter a font using these characters in
its control codes as follows:
font

<27>4

<13>5

See “Character Alias and Decimal Values” on page 325 for more
information.
Avoiding Characters Used by the System
Some printing characters are reserved for system use. Therefore, you
cannot include any of these characters as a control code by typing it. Some
of these characters and their system interpretations are listed in the
following table.

324

Character

How it is interpreted

;

Indicates the start of a comment

Represents the computer’s name

space

Separates on and off control codes

System Printing

Character

How it is interpreted

Indicates the start of character entered by alias or decimal value

Causes system to abandon the line you are typing

Character Alias and Decimal Values

If your printer uses control codes that contain any of the characters used by
the system, enter the characters by alias or by decimal value. The aliases
and decimal values for these characters are listed in the following table.
Character

Alias

Decimal Value

;

<59>

<35>

space

<32>

<60>

<64>

<124>

<92>

<1>

<2>

<3>

<4>

<5>

<6>

<7>

<8>

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326

Character

Alias

Decimal Value

<9>

<10>

<11>

<12>

<13>

<14>

<15>

<16>

<17>

<18>

<19>

<20>

<21>

<22>

<23>

<24>

<25>

_{<26>

[

<27>

<28>

]

<29>

<30>

Creating and Using Print Styles

Character

Alias

Decimal Value

<31>

<132>

<133>

<136>

<141>

<142>

<143>

<144>

<155>

<156>

Creating and Using Print Styles
For your printer profiles to be useful, you must have styles designed to take
advantage of them. Each of your system’s styles is defined in a separate
story in your database, called a style story. Each style story creates a
particular kind of printed output by selecting forms and fonts necessary to
produce the output. It may also override some options set in the printer’s
profile. In addition to using style stories to control printed output, you can
change default translations of special system words that control print
operations.
Print styles can be used to define printed output for both system and local
printers. Local printing style stories are created in the same location and in
the same manner as those for system printing. See “Local Printing” on
page 333 and “Local Print Style Options” on page 340 for more
information.

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Creating a Style Story
Each style story is held in its own queue in SYSTEM.STYLES. Queues in
this directory have names that are three-digit numbers, such as 001. This
lets you refer to each style by a number. For instance, a user can choose the
print style defined in the style story in queue 001 by selecting that queue.
Each three-digit queue name in the example can be followed by a hyphen
and a descriptive name, such as SINGLE-SPACE. This optional name is
used by the Print dialog box.
To create a new style story and queue:

1. Create the new queue in SYSTEM.STYLES. See “Creating a New
Queue” on page 103 for more information.
2. Choose the next available three-digit number for the queue name. For
instance, if 004 is the last queue name used, create a style 005. Give
the new queue a numerical name, such as 005-memo. The number is
followed by a hyphen and the descriptive word, memo.

The largest number that you can use as a queue name is 255 and the lowest
is 0. (Style 0 is the default style your system uses when someone enters a
print command without specifying a style.) You can have as many as 250
separate style stories.
3. After the queue is created, open it by double-clicking on it in the
Directory panel.
4. Create a new story to hold the style you want to create. See “Creating a
New Story” on page 106 for more information.
5. Create the new style by writing the various profile options, font, and
form information in the Story panel. This is explained in more detail in
the next sections.
6. Save the story.

Changing System Profile Options
The first part of your style story should contain options that are different
from the default values set in the printer profile. For instance, suppose that
profiles usually have the banner or running header option set to yes, the
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Creating and Using Print Styles

spacing option set to 2 (double spacing), and a page length of 65 lines.
However, you want the memos to be single-spaced, printed without a
banner, with a maximum of 40 lines per page.
Change these options in the style story. Put banner no on the first line of
the style story, spacing 1 on the second line, and pagelength 40 on
the third.
Setting these options in a style story overrides their settings in the printer
profile, but only when this style is used. You can modify profile and style
options only in the style story; you cannot modify profile-only options.
The style options are
different for local
printing. See “Local
Print Style Options” on
page 340 for more
information.

Selecting Forms
What appears next in the style story are forms selected to produce the
output you want. For instance, to print memos in letter quality mode,
choose forms that set up the printer to do that.
As part of this example, suppose that we must initialize letter quality and
word processing modes on printers to produce letter quality output. Also,
our system’s printer profiles define codes to initialize letter quality printing
and codes to initialize word processing mode as form 1 and form 2,
respectively.
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Chapter 11 Printers

To add forms to the style story:

1. Type form and the numbers representing forms you want to add. For
instance, to add form 1 and form 2 to the style story, type:
form 1 2

2. Add a comment at the end of each line explaining the form’s purpose.
Begin the comment with a semicolon and then enter a short
explanation. If you use more than one form, ensure the forms do not
conflict.

The same word, form, is used in both the style story and printer profile,
but have different, although related, meanings. A form in the printer
profile defines a sequence of codes to be output to the printer when one of
the 10 possible forms is selected. When specifying a form in a style story,
you are selecting a list of forms to use that correspond to form numbers in
the printer profile. See “Defining a Form” on page 312 for more
information.

Identifying and Selecting Fonts
The fonts come last in the style story. This parameter allows you to match
video effects produced by the iNEWS Workstation to corresponding print
effects. For instance, you can match the bold video attribute, which
produces bold text on the screen, to the print effect that produces bold
printed text.
This is a multilevel process.
Video attributes produced by the iNEWS Workstation are converted to
video modes used for system printing. These video modes can be
associated with font numbers, in the style story. Fonts, defined and
associated with a number in the printer profile, produce the desired print
effect on paper.
There are a total of five video modes available for system printing. Their
standard names are:

330

•

NORMAL

•

BOLD

•

REVERSE

Creating and Using Print Styles

•

UNDERLINE

•

BOLDREVERSE

The following table is a chart displaying some of the different video
attributes that can be produced on the iNEWS Workstation and the
associated video modes.
Attribute

Video Mode

NORMAL

BOLD

ITALIC

REVERSE

UNDERLINE

PRESENTER

REVERSE

CLOSED CAPTION

BOLDREVERSE

BOLD ITALIC

BOLDREVERSE

BOLD UNDERLINE

BOLD

ITALIC UNDERLINE

REVERSE

BOLD ITALIC UNDERLINE

BOLDREVERSE

As an example, we will map bold and underlined attributes on the iNEWS
Workstation to corresponding print effects. The printer profiles in our
example system are standardized so that they all define font 1 as
producing bold printed text, and font 3 as producing underlined text. We
assign bold to font 1 and underline to font 3.
When you assign a video mode to a font in a style story, you must refer to
the video mode by its standard name that your system recognizes for
system printing.

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To assign a video mode to a font in a style story, begin a line with the video
mode’s standard name followed by the font number you want to associate
with that video mode. For instance, to associate the bold video mode with
font 1, type a line in the style story similar to this:
bold

; bold text

We assign the underline video mode to font 3 in the same way, such as:
underline 3 ; underline text

When you save the story, the system incorporates the style story into its
operations so users can select that style when they print stories from the
database.
The bold video mode is also associated with the bold attribute on the
iNEWS Workstation. The underline video mode is associated with the
underline attribute on the iNEWS Workstation. When you type some bold
text in a story in the iNEWS Workstation, that bold text is associated with
the bold video mode. When you print that story using a style story, which
associated bold video mode with font 1, the bold text you typed into
your story on the iNEWS Workstation will print bold-faced on paper.
There is one more important system dictionary file, which determines how
attributes of field labels and field text in Story forms are associated with
the five standard video modes. This file is called convertvideo and
exists in the /site/dict directory.

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In some cases, the /site/dict/convertvideo directory may not be
present on the system.

Local Printing

The standard form for this file is shown here:
NRCS-A$ cat /site/dict/convertvideo
;
attribute
;
field-style-to-video

field-style-to-video

label-style-to-video

mode
bold
bold
boldreverse
boldreverse
reverse
reverse
underline
bold
bold
boldreverse
boldreverse
reverse
reverse
underline

Avid strongly cautions that you not change this file.
The letters in angle brackets (< >) represent attributes. For instance,
represents the bold attribute. The represents italic. The
represents the underline attribute. Words in the right column represent
video modes associated with attributes. This file affects how Story forms
are displayed on video display terminals and how they are printed to
system printers.

Local Printing
Local printing is any print request sent to a printer directly accessible to the
iNEWS Workstation.
The iNEWS system includes an enhanced Local printing feature, also
called Windows printing. These enhancements include a dialog box that
offers users more options, such as selecting a predefined style when
printing locally.

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When local printing a
batch of stories, stories
that have a BLANK
body are not printed.

Local printing does require some setup preparation or alterations. For
instance, there are print style options that must be defined in
SYSTEM.STYLES. Both print style options and the dialog box are
explained here, starting with the dialog box.
Local printing is not available when the cursor is in the Directory panel,
unless it is on a queue that is currently displayed in the Queue panel. Local
printing is not recommended for stories larger than 10 kilobytes or 5
minutes, according to iNEWS timing. The iNEWS system will print these
files, but because the local printing is not handled in the background, it
may cause the workstation to appear “frozen” or “locked up” while the
system processes the print request.

Local Printing Dialog Box

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Local Printing

The dialog box is divided into five sections: Scope, Options, Story
Preview, Copies, and Grid. There are also several buttons, which include:
Print Preview, Network, and Default. Each of these sections and buttons
are described in more detail in this part of the chapter.
Scope

The Scope section allows users to select one of four radio buttons to
indicate what they want to print.

The options these radio buttons offer are explained as follows:
The “Print the queue
view” option
determines whether the
Story Preview
checkbox is available.
See “Story Preview” on
page 336 for more
information.

•

Print the queue view - This option is available in most cases. A user’s
cursor does not have to be in the Queue panel of the iNEWS
Workspace for this option to be used. Even if the cursor is located in
the Story panel, the user can still print the queue view by selecting this
option.

•

Print selected portion of queue - This option is available when a
portion of the Queue panel is selected. Only that highlighted portion of
the queue view—which must be contiguous—will be printed when this
option is chosen. This option is not available when noncontiguous
lines in the queue are selected.

•

Print all stories in the queue - This option is available from the
Directory panel or Queue panel if the queue has the printable (+p)
database trait. This option will send the text of all stories in the queue
to the printer.

•

Print selected stories - This option is only available if a row or rows
of stories are selected in the Queue panel. The option will send text of
stories highlighted in the queue to the printer.

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•

Print current story - This option is available in all three panels of the
iNEWS Workspace. It will send the story that currently appears in the
Story panel to the printer.

Not all options are available all the time. Also, which option in the Scope
section is selected by default depends on which panel in the iNEWS
Workspace is activated—that is, in which panel the cursor is located.
Default Option Selection:
•

From the Directory panel, if the queue has the printable database trait,
it defaults to “Print all stories.” If the queue does not have the printable
database trait, it will default to “Print current story.”

•

From the Queue panel with one or more stories selected by the row
selector button, it will default to “Print selected stories.”

•

From the Queue panel with no stories selected, it will default to “Print
current story.”

•

From the Story Panel, it will default to “Print current story.”

Story Preview

The Story Preview section allows a user to print a preview or sample of
each script as part of the queue image. Consequently, this section is only
enabled if the “Print the queue view” option is chosen in the Scope section
of the dialog box. Otherwise, it will appear gray and be unavailable.

The Story Preview section, once enabled, has three options a user can
define, depending on how the queue view should be printed.
•

336

Story Preview - When this check box is selected, iNEWS will print
lines of each story, along with the queue view, as defined by the user in
the Story Preview section.

Local Printing

•

All lines - When this check box is selected, iNEWS will print all of
lines of each story, along with the queue image. When this option is
selected, the remaining option called Lines Per Story appears gray and
is unavailable.

•

Lines Per Story - When enabled, iNEWS will print the specified
number of lines of each story, along with the queue view. Lines of the
story will be printed below the row that corresponds to it in the queue
view. This option is disabled (appears gray) when the All lines option
is checked.

For instance, if a user wants to see the first few lines of each story in
addition to a show’s lineup, the user selects the “Print the queue view”
radio button in the Scope section of the dialog box, selects the Story
Preview check box, sets the Lines Per Story setting to 3, and clicks OK to
print it. The iNEWS system will print the first row of the lineup (or fields
of the Story Form), followed by three lines of that story, then the second
row and three lines of the second story, and so forth.

Rows as shown in the Queue panel may not match exactly rows of the
queue image printed with Story Preview selected. That is because iNEWS’
Story Preview printing feature is configurable. System administrators can
define what information appears in the columns of a Queue panel and in
fields of the Story Form panel. These two displays may or may not match
exactly. This is also the case for Story Preview printing. For instance, a
system administrator can designate which fields from the Story Form are
not printed. The default is to print all fields in the Story Form, as specified
within each story.

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Chapter 11 Printers

Options

The Options section of the dialog box contains three choices for users:
Styles, Line Spacing, and Uppercase.

•

Various print style options can be defined by the system administrator and
are stored in the first story in the queues within SYSTEM.STYLES. See
“Local Print Style Options” on page 340 for more information.
•

Line Spacing - A user can configure how much space appears between
lines of text. A setting of one would result in single-spaced text, two
would be double-spaced, and so forth. This option will override any
line spacing predefined in the chosen print style.

The maximum number for line spacing allowed by default in the dialog box
is 10. A print style can exceed this maximum and that setting will appear in
the Line Spacing box when that style is chosen. However, if a user chooses
to manually override the style setting by changing it in the Local Printing
dialog box, then the default maximum of 10 will again take effect.
•

338

Styles - A user can choose from a drop-down list of predefined styles.
This feature is available when printing to both local and system
printers.

Uppercase - When this check box is selected, iNEWS will print all
text in uppercase (all capitalized letters). Whether this check box
appears selected by default when the dialog box first opens can be set
by the system administrator using a print style option. See “Local Print
Style Options” on page 340 for more information.

Local Printing

Copies

The Copies section allows the user to determine the number of copies
printed and whether multiple pages are collated.

The Collate check box is not available for selection unless multiple copies
are printed—that is, the number of copies is set to a number more than 1.
Grid

The Grid section of the dialog box contains two choices: Horizontal and
Vertical.

•

Horizontal - When this check box is selected, iNEWS will include
horizontal grid lines when printing the queue view image.

•

Vertical - When this check box is selected, iNEWS will include
vertical grid lines when printing the queue view image.

The default behavior of these check boxes is based on a user’s preferences.
Print Preview and Network buttons

Print Preview - This button allows users to preview queues or stories on
their screens prior to printing.

The Print Preview button is disabled when Story Preview is selected.
•

Network - This button offers the user more flexibility in selecting
which printer is used. The dialog box has two locations from which a
user can select a printer. The first is a drop-down list at the top of the
dialog box that displays a list of printers loaded on, or locally
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Chapter 11 Printers

connected to, the computer the user is on. The second is the Network
button, which allows the user to select any printer available through the
network.
•

Default - This button returns settings of the Print dialog box back to
default preferences of the user.

Local Print Style Options
Local print style options are added to the styles already used by iNEWS for
system printing. They are stored in the first story in queues within
SYSTEM.STYLES with options for system printing. See “Creating a Style
Story” on page 328 for more information.

Do not make separate stories in the queues for system and local printing.
Because all options for local printing begin with the letters WIN, iNEWS
will ignore these options when conducting a system print.
In the story, options are specified with an option name—also known as a
token—followed by an equal sign (=) and then the parameter value. Each
option must be on its own line. A semicolon (;) will cause the remainder of
that line to be ignored, and can be used to make notes in reference to the
print option. The format looks like this:}

Avid INEWSOpsv2.0 I News 2.0 Setup And Configuration Manual Config

&f-title;

TEASE/BREAK

&IF:D-PARENT; [&D-SERVER;]&D-NAME; &ELSE; [&D-SERVER;] &ENDIF;

[&Q-SERVER;]&Q-NAME;

Story:
PAG:&f-PAGE-NUMBER;	MOD-DATE:&f-modify-date;	PRESENTER:&f-PRESENTER;
&BODY;
Anchored Element List:
&AESET;

Story:
PAG:75	MOD-DATE:04/29/97 14:02:34	PRESENTER:SB*
(BELL) STILL AHEAD ON EYEWITNESS NEWS... THE MAXWELL CLUB HONORS SOME OF OUR AREA'S BEST HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYERS. YOU'LL MEET THEM... COMING UP.
Anchored Element List:
VO ENG Coming Up Next…

Story:
CREATED BY:&F-CREATE-BY;	CREATED:&F-CREATE-DATE;
PAGE:&F-PAGE-NUMBER;	MODIFIED:&F-MODIFY-DATE;
&BODY;
Anchored Element List:
&AESET