NVerzion uses an Architecture that has been in use for over 20 years. The following graphic gives you an overview. The fundamental purpose is to control Video. Video is controlled, and manipulated, by a wide variety of machines including, Video Routers, Video Servers, Tape Machines, Graphics Generators, and many many more. We provide applications to Acquire, Prepare, Present and more. What we wanted to do was create a means of controlling all the machines, from any application and be able to control any machine in the world from any application in the world. In order to do this, we created a network based machine control protocol. Automation Architecture
In addition to Automation software, NVerzion provides Archive / Storage / Distribution software. This software is fully integrated with our automation software. In addition it can run standalone or be controlled by 3rd party vendors using standard protocols. Click this link to move down to learn more about this architecture. Archive Store Distribute
Ethernet Machine Control (EMC)
The graphic above shows applications, the network, machine control computers, and machines. In reality we sell many more types of applications then we show here and control many many more types of machines than are shown here. However, we have just one machine control protocol. This protocol contains all the necessary machine control commands for virtually unlimited control of the machines. The applications send the commands to the Machine Control Computers via the network. The Machine Control Computers determine which machine the command is intended for, translates the message from our protocol to the machines protocol and sends the command to the device. Status from the machine is accomplished in relatively the reverse process.
At run time, an application reads its configuration and determines which machines it needs to communicate to to perform its function. The application queries the network, much like DHCP, and establishes a connection with the Machine Control computer that is connected to the machine(s) to be controlled. Due to the power of the network, the application and need not be located in the same room, the same facility, nor the same country. With this simple implementation we provide the power to control any device from anywhere.
The network provides virtually unlimited expansion. You can add, without limitation, any number of applications and any number of machines. Redundancy becomes elementary. You can have 1 Machine Control computer for each device, or have up to 16 on one. When we first started using Ethernet Machine control we did so on a 10 Mbps network, and it still works. With the addition of multi Gbps networks, the possibilities are unlimited.
Archive / Storage / Distribution (XPansion)
Whereas there is a reasonable argument that says you can't Archive Video, you certainly can Store it. In order to Store it you have to move it, and if you can move it, you can Distribute it. There are certainly a myriad or media, and robots, out there to store video on, and we are ready to interface to all of them. However, most digital Video today is played from Video Servers and each Video Server does Video in its own way and in its own format. NVerzion has drawn upon its years of experience in the Video industry to develop a solution to handle the particular needs of the industry.
Just like our Ethernet Machine Control, described above, we used our 20 years of experience in control over the network to provide an ASD solution. All communication is done via the network. Just like EMC above, XPansion can be installed anywhere, distribute anywhere and can expand without limitation. The graphic above shows our 3 tools we use, XPansion, Data Movers and XPlorers, in different forms to provide an unlimited number of solutions.
The Brain of the operation we call XPansion. This piece of software is provided with all the information and makes all the decisions. It knows where every piece of material is located and how much space is available on all devices. It can connect to databases and provide them with information. It is the entry point for 3rd party software to interface to our system. When a request to Archive, or restore, is made; it is XPansion that determines where the material is and determines what actions must be taken to satisfy the request. XPansion monitors the actions it has commanded a Data Mover to do and provides status back the interface that made the request for the transfer.
Data Movers are connected to Video Servers and to storage devices and do the actual work, or the movement of data. At run time, Data Movers connect to their device and create a list of the inventory on its device. They next connect to XPansion and publish to XPansion a complete list of their assets. Since there is one Data Mover for every storage device or server, the system inherently provides parallel bandwidth. This greatly increases the efficiency of data movement.
XPlorers enable you to view the assets on the system and manually manage assets. At run time, an XPlorer connects to the XPansion Brain and receives from it a complete list of the inventory in the entire system. XPlorers display the material in a database view. From this view you may perform a variety of functions having to do with viewing meta-data, transferring and deleting material and some priority assignments.
