Igloo System Architecture Overview

A standard Igloo system consists of a central media server responsible for managing, receiving, and warping content; projectors which receive video signal from this media server; a tablet for controlling the Igloo software; and potentially client devices that stream content to the media server, using a protocol such as NDI.

The media server and projectors will communicate over a network in order to centrally manage projector settings, and to provide some monitoring and troubleshooting information.

A control tablet typically sits on a wireless network that is able to talk with the media server, in order to send OSC messages to the Igloo Control software.

Clients wishing to send NDI streams to the media server usually sit on the same network as the control tablet, or will be on another network that is able to route through to it. Multicast traffic must be allowed in order for this functionality to work, as NDI works by having clients broadcast their presence to receiving servers.

In terms of cabling, this will be determined by our team on a system-by-system basis. As a rough guide, where high network usage is expected (e.g. content streaming), we typically use and recommend Cat6 Ethernet cabling using 10GbE. In most cases, Cat5e using 1GbE is enough.

A specific, more detailed, overview of these connections and signal flows will be provided in the form of a system diagram showing each component and the connection types between them.

Multi-User Installation of Igloo Software

Igloo software can be installed for all users, rather than the default of per-user installations, during the install process. This installs configuration files underneath C:\ProgramData\Igloo Vision\ which should be accessible to all users on the system. All users will therefore require read access to this folder for the software to work correctly, and write access where they need to make configuration changes, e.g. changing clip banks in Igloo Control.

An alternative to giving all users write access to this folder (potentially a security risk) is to have a set few power users who have these permissions in order to make changes to configuration.

Installation and Integration of Third Party Software

Before we can install and set up the Igloo Software suite, there are a few prerequisite pieces of software to be installed, and some corresponding system configuration changes to be made.

Steam Controller Service

An installation package for the Steam Controller Service will be provided for install on the server. This does not require the Steam application to run, and will act as a virtual driver for the controller to use.

The driver files will be installed to C:\igloo and NSSM will be used to install the Windows service. There is a batch file which will perform these steps when run as Administrator; this batch file expects NSSM to be installed.

Revizto

Revizto is a piece of software that displays 3D models and allows the user to fly through and around the model. This software runs on the media server and can communicate directly with the Igloo Warper to output its display. The view can be navigated through using the Steam Controller.

The latest version of Revizto should be downloaded from their website and installed to the media server. Once installed, the application should be launched once to perform initial configuration. A shortcut should be created to launch the software to work with Igloo Warper, with -igloo -force-d3d11 -iglooSenderName Revizto being appended to the shortcut target.

vMix Desktop Capture

The Igloo Warper supports NDI in order to send video data directly to the media server for display. Client machines that wish to display e.g. their desktop in the Igloo can use vMix Desktop Capture to do so.

This can be downloaded from https://www.vmix.com/software/download.aspx and installed on client machines. By default, the software is installed under C:\Program Files(x86)\vMix\. An optional Video codec can be installed during the setup process which will be located under C:\Program Files(x86)\MagicYUV\, though the Igloo Warper uses the HAP codec.

Peruse-a-rue

For Google Street View integration, we use a Node.js service called Peruse-a-rue. Node.js LTS version must be installed on the server for this service to run https://nodejs.org/en/.

There is an Igloo-specific version of Peruse-a-rue which will be provided for install on the server.

NSSM https://nssm.cc/ will be used to set up a Windows Service that manages the automatic startup of Peruse-a-rue. nssm install peruse-a-rue will start a dialog box that allows entry of:

• The path to node.exe in Program Files.

• The path to the lg-peruse-a-rue-master-igloo directory for startup.

• bin/peruse-a-rue as the argument.

A Google Maps API key must be obtained in order for Street View images to load. Two files must be edited in the lg-peruse-a-rue-master-igloo directory, by replacing <API-KEY> in the sections shown with your Google Maps API key:

shim: {
    'config': { exports: 'config' },
    'googlemaps': {
      deps: [
        'async!http://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/js?key=<API-KEY>&v=3.25!callback'
      ]
    }
  },

shim: {
    'config': { exports: 'config' },
    'googlemaps': {
      deps: [
        'async!http://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/js?key=<API-KEY>&libraries=places&v=3.25!callback'
      ]
    }
  },

Creating a Google Maps API Key

Igloo Software Data Locations

The following locations are used by a default installation of the Igloo software suite. These locations can be modified by customising the install process as required.

Network Requirements

Firewall Rules

An Igloo media server can be entirely self-contained, though in most cases internet access will be required for system updates, content downloads, web services, etc. There may also be requirements for the media server to communicate with clients on a corporate network, e.g. for NDI streaming. The following table describes ports for common services that are used by an Igloo Media server, as well as the scope.

Explanation of Scopes:

• Igloo Network - Network containing the Igloo related hardware i.e. media server, projectors, etc. This can be a separate VLAN, or mixed with a pre-existing network.

• Outside - Corporate network or network providing internet access to the Igloo system. Can be behind NAT if only web and software updates are required. For sending OSC messages and / or NDI streams to the Igloo from this network, firewall rules must be in place to allow traffic through.

• Inbound / Outbound - Inbound is assumed to be traffic directed at clients on the Igloo network, whereas Outbound is traffic leaving this network. This can be controlled by your gateway firewall, or intermediary security device. Windows Firewall settings on the media server itself should also match where required.

Internet Connectivity

As shown in the above table, ports for web connectivity are optional but preferred for Windows Updates, remote support, and general usability. Windows Updates should generally be allowed and installed for security fixes, though a day should be set aside for larger cumulative and feature updates that may require post-install testing.

Other devices may not require internet connectivity; no device in the Igloo system strictly needs it. This is largely up to your own requirements in terms of accessibility and security.

Protocol Specific Considerations

An Igloo system may depend on much more than basic web traffic, so it is important to take into consideration the type of traffic that will be in common use and how it will impact your network. A simple playback system will not generate much traffic outside of Windows Updates and downloading new content; in this regard the server will behave similarly to a typical client. When content streaming is a requirement, there are some bandwidth and latency requirements to keep in mind, and a network administrator should be involved to make sure there are no adverse effects on your corporate network.

NDI

NDI is a fairly efficient protocol for streaming high quality video content over a network. This is bandwidth intensive by nature, however; a single NDI stream of a 1080i video source will take up around 100Mbps, and requires a latency of around 14ms to avoid frame dropping. It is important to consider how many NDI streams you may have active at a time, and how they are going to traverse your network. It is generally best practice to have clients that need to send NDI streams to the Igloo media server on the local Igloo network, as this reduces the round-trip-time, and also reduces traffic flow across your corporate network.

RTMP

RTMP is a less efficient, though much more easily configurable alternative to NDI streams. Video and audio bitrates can be set independently to match network requirements, and there is control over the codec used to transmit this data. Latency and bandwidth are still important to consider, so the same considerations should be made as in the case of using NDI streams, i.e. how the traffic will traverse your network, how many streams may be active at one time, what the expected latency will be, etc.

Dante Audio

A Dante Audio system is network based, and can sit entirely on the Igloo Network unless external audio sources are required. Bandwidth for an audio stream is typically 6Mbps depending on number of channels and sample size. Dante Audio packets can make use of QoS settings, and publish a guide on these shown below:

Ports for unicast and multicast Dante audio are included in the port requirements above. A more detailed description of these requirements are as follows:

Support

Remote Access

TeamViewer

TeamViewer is our preferred remote support method. We install TeamViewer as a service, which grants easy access to our support team upon request. This is not configured to require a password from our support team unless specifically requested. The following ports are required for TeamViewer access:

• TCP/UDP 5938 Outbound

• TCP 443 Outbound

• TCP 80 Outbound

LogMeIn GoToMyPC

GoToMyPC is not the preferred method of remote support, though can be used if required. We have no quick access system as with TeamViewer, so response times may be affected. The following network ports will be required for external support to connect to the system:

• TCP 80 Outbound

• TCP 443 Outbound

• TCP 8200 Outbound

Raising a Support Request

Any and all queries should be sent to myadvocate@igloovision.com where a ticket will be raised and one of our support team will be assigned to your case. Tickets can also be raised via the web at myadvocate.igloovision.com.