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WireServer
System Overview
General
The Hmedia WireServer is a Linux based software to handle text feeds in any format. Each broadcast company has to manage incoming news. Usually there are different channels (FTP, email, serial connected devices, etc.) and different formats (XML, IPTC7, ANPA, CSV, etc.) to deal with. All these files and streams must be converted into a specific target format depending the concrete NRCS system.
Our Wireserver delivers all steps for such a conversation process. Therefore it contains a couple of modules. For each input channel there is one receiver and one parser, respectively. Additionally there is one transfer process for each system where the final data have to deploy to. Of course you can specify which data from which channel have to go to which destination system. Picture 1 depict the data flow for a sample configuration with two Avid iNEWS™ systems.
THe WireServer can act as datachanger in different scenarios. Whenever you need to convert one (especially non-XML) dataformat into another one in realtime you can do this with our WireServer.
Features
Automatic offline handling - If a problem occurs with one destination host, the WireServer tries to forward data to an alternative machine. If that also fails, it sleeps for a specified time and retry after. In the meanwhile all data are saved in a queue.
System Requirements
Linux
OS (tested with SuSE 10 and RedHat Linux ES 4)
Versions
WireServer 1.0 for iNEWS
Supports serial,
FTP and Email connections
creates NSML stories and
FTP them into the iNEWS (for that reason no extra license cost)
Known Bugs
WireServer doesn't parse messages with ”<” or ”>” in it. - This bug relates to a bug in awk.
No wire feeds appear in iNEWS although WireServer seems to work properly. There is a spontaneous problem with incoming
FTP on iNEWS. In that case the relating RXNET-demon on iNEWS hangs as well as the WireServer ftp-out device for the relating iNEWS system. Restart of both devices brings the system back in normal operation mode.
Roadmap
WireServer 1.1 will be released in QI/QII 2007. At least the
FTP processes are then written in Java and hence more stable (see bug 2).
References
These broadcasters already use the WireServer:
Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk -
MDR
Discussion