Grass Valley Aurora Playout v.8.1 - Manual (Page 41)

About hosts files and SiteConfig
SiteConfig uses the network information in the system description to define a hosts file and allows
you to view the hosts file. SiteConfig can manage this hosts file on Windows operating system
devices that are in the system description and that are part of a SiteConfig managed network.
When you have successfully assigned devices and applied planned network settings to interfaces,
it is an indication that host table information, as currently captured in the system description, is valid
and that you are ready to have SiteConfig assemble the host table information into a hosts file. Your
options for placing this host table information on devices are as follows:
• If you do not want SiteConfig to manage your host table information, you can manage it yourself.
This is typically the case if your facility has an existing hosts file that contains host table
information for devices that are not in the SiteConfig system description. In this case, you can
have SiteConfig generate a single hosts file that contains the host table information for the devices
in the system description. You can then copy the desired host table information out of the
SiteConfig hosts file and copy it into your facility hosts file. You must then distribute your facility
hosts file to devices using your own mechanisms.
• If you want SiteConfig to manage all information in hosts files on devices, you can have
SiteConfig copy its hosts file to devices. In so doing, SiteConfig overwrites the existing hosts
files on devices. Therefore, this requires that all devices that have name resolution through the
hosts file be configured accordingly in the SiteConfig system description.
If you choose to have SiteConfig write hosts files to devices, the process consumes system resource
and network bandwidth. Therefore you should wait until you have verified the information for all
devices/interfaces in the host file, rather than updating hosts files incrementally as you discover/assign
devices.
SiteConfig does not automatically deploy hosts files to managed devices as you add or remove
devices. If you add or remove devices from the system description, you must re-deploy the modified
hosts file to all devices.
Generating host tables using SiteConfig
Prerequisites for this task are as follows:
• Planned control network settings are applied to control network interfaces and devices are
communicating on the control network as defined in the system description.
• Interfaces for networks that require name resolution via the hosts file, such as the FTP/streaming
network, have settings applied and are communicating.
• You have viewed host names, as currently defined in the system description, and determined
that they are correct.
• The SiteConfig PC is added to the system description so that it is included in the host tables
generated by SiteConfig.
When you add or modify devices or their IP addresses in the SiteConfig system description, you
should update host tables on all devices that use them.
1. In the Network Configuration | Networks tree view, select a network, site, or system node.
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Configuring the network