Manual Alces

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Last updated: Nov 05, 2014 by Stefan Meissner

Alces presentation from CIP4 Strasbourg tutorial


 

Alces FAQ

  1. How do I connect to a system that can receive JMF messages?  

    Enter the system's URL in the Device/Controller URL field and click the Connect button. Alces will send two JMF messages to the system, a KnownDevices query and a KnownMessages query. If the system generates responses to these messages that Alces can parse the known devices will be displayed in the KnownDevices pane and the buttons for each known message will be displayed in the KnownMessages pane. If the responses cannot be parsed by Alces the Send File... button will be displayed.   

  2. How do I send a JMF message?  

    Click one of the buttons in the KnownMessages pane. Alces will attempt to generate the message and send it. For each message sent by Alces a new test session is started, represented by the globe icon in the test session tree (the middle pane). Expanding the globe icon reveals an icon representing the message that started the test session, in this case the message Alces sent. Clicking the message's icon displays the message content in the right pane. Expanding the message icon reveals the tests that were run on the message and the response message that Alces received back.   

  3. How do I a send file containing JMF message that I hand-coded myself?  

    Click the Send File... button and select the file contain the JMF message. If the file has the file extension .jmf Alces will assume it is a JMF message and send the HTTP request with the correct content-type (application/vnd.cip4-jmf+xml).    

    As a shortcut you can right-click the Send File... button to select-and-send a JMF message in the configured file directory (configured in the Preferences dialog).   

  4. What file extensions does Alces recognize when a file is sent with the Send File... button?   Alces recognizes the following file extensions and sets the corresponding content-types in the HTTP request's header:  

    • Extension

      Content-Type

      Description

       

      .jmf

      application/vnd.cip4-jmf+xml

      JMF message

       

      .jmf

      application/vnd.cip4-jmf+xml

      JMF message

       

      .jdf

      application/vnd.cip4-jdf+xml

      JDF file

       

      .mjm

      multipart/related

      MIME package containing JMF message, JDF file, plus optional content files

       

      .mjd

      multipart/related

      MIME package containing JDF file, plus option content files

       

      .xml

      text/xml

      XML file

       

      Any other file extension

      text/plain

      plain text content

       

         

  5. How do I submit a JDF file?  There are several ways to submit a JDF file:   

    • If the device supports the SubmitQueueEntry message, click the SubmitQueueEntry... button and select the JDF file to submit. Alces will publish (copy) the JDF file to its HTTP server, create a SubmitQueueEntry message that refers to the published JDF file with a http URL, and sent the message to the device. If the Control key (Windows) or Option key (Mac OS X) is pressed when clicking the SubmitQueueEntry... button the JDF file's /JDF/@JobID will be updated with a newly generated unique job ID.   

    • Right-click the SubmitQueueEntry... button to select-and-submit one the JDF files in the configured JDF directory (configured in the Preferences dialog).   

    • Send a hand-coded JMF file containing a SubmitQueueEntry that refers to a JDF file, see above.   

    • Click the Send File... button. This submits the file as is with the setting the content-type of the HTTP request to application/vnd.cip4-jdf+xml. However, most devices require that JDF files are submitted with by a SubmitQueueEntry message as this is the submission method that CIP4 recommends.   

  6. How do I submit a MIME package?  

    Click the Send File... button and select the MIME file. If the MIME file has the extensions .mjm or .mjd Alces will set the correct content-type in the HTTP request. Alces currently does not build MIME packages.   

  7. How do I update Alces' queue panel?  

    Select the device whose queue should be displayed in the KnownDevices pane. Then send a QueueStatus message or a Status message with /JMF/Query/StatusQuParams/@QueueInfo="true" (for example test file 08.Status.jmf) to the device. Alces will update the queue panel using the queue information in the response from the device. The queue view is only updated if the returned /JMF/Response/Queue/@DeviceID matches the DeviceID of device selected in the KnownDevices pane.    

  8. How do I resubmit a JDF file?  

    Select a queue entry in the queue panel. Click the ResubmitQueueEntry... button.   

  9. How do I delete a queue entry?  

    Select a queue Entry in the queue panel. Click the DeleteQueueEntry button.   

  10. How do I remove a queue entry?  

    Select a queue Entry in the queue panel. Click the RemoveQueueEntry button.    

  11. How do I submit a JDF file with a new JobID?  

    Hold down the Control key on Windows or Option key on Mac OS X when clicking the SubmitQueueEntry... button. Alces will then generate a unique job ID and update the JDF file's /JDF/@JobID attribute.   

  12. How do I start a subscription?  

    Send a hand-coded JMF message to the device that contains a subscription. Alces will automatically update the message's /JMF/Query/Subscription/@URL attribute with Alces' JMF URL. When Signals are delivered during the subscription, Alces will attempt to associate them to the test session that started the subscription.   

  13. How do I get Alces to automatically update the queue panel?  

    Send a hand-coded Status or QueueStatus message that contains a subscription to the device. Alces will automatically update the queue panel when the Signal messages are received.   

  14. How do I get Alces to automatically update the device pane?  Send a hand-coded Status message that contains a subscription to the device. Alces will automatically update the queue panel when the Signal message sare received.   

  15. How do I enable/disable tests?  

    Click the Preferences... button in the top-left corner of Alces' window and select the ValidationSettings tab. Tests are enabled/disabled by checking/unchecking the checkboxes.   

  16. What do the pre-installed tests do?  

     

    ReturnCodeTest

    in

    Tests that all Response messages received by Alces have return code 0 (/JMF/Response[@ReturnCode='0'])

     

    CheckJDFTest

    in/out

    Validates all JMF messages sent and received by Alces using "CheckJDF validation" and schema validation using the schema ALCES_HOME/testdata/schema/JDF.xsd

     

    JDFContentTest

    in/out

    Tests that the content-type of sent and received JMF messages matches the content of the message

     

    ReturnQueueEntryTest

    in

    Validates all JDF files referenced by ReturnQueueEntry messages using "CheckJDF validation" and schema validation using the schema ALCES_HOME/testdata/schema/JDF.xsd

     

    SubmitQueueEntryTest

    out

    Validates all JDF files referenced by SubmitQueueEntry messages using "CheckJDF validation" and schema validation using the schema ALCES_HOME/testdata/schema/JDF.xsd

     

      

  17. How do I write my own test and add it to Alces?  

    Create your own implementation of the interface org.cip4.elk.alces.test.tests.Test. Look and the already exists test classes in the same package for inspiration.   

  18. How do I tweak Alces' behavior?  

    Edit the file ALCES_HOME/conf/alces.properties.   

  19. How do I enable/disable JMF preprocessors?   
  20. What do the preinstalled JMF preprocessors do?

 

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