Grass Valley Soft Panels v.3.1 - Manual (Page 18)

18 Soft Panels — Instruction Manual
Section 3 — Encore System Soft Panel Configuration
Encore Soft Panels Configuration Overview
Background Information
Soft Panels used with Encore systems are configured and managed similar
to hardware panels. Soft Panels seen by the Encore Panel Server on the
network are automatically detected by their assigned name. If the Panel
Server database has a configuration with that name, it is sent to the Soft
Panel and that panel acquires that defined functionality. Changing the
name of the Soft Panel to a different existing configuration immediately
changes the Soft Panel’s functionality to those new settings.
CAUTION Every panel (hardware or software) on the Encore network must have a
unique panel name. Do not use an existing hardware panel name for the name
of a Soft Panel. Unpredictable panel behavior may result.
You use the Panel Server OUI to edit panel configurations, which can then
be used by Soft Panels. Soft Panel functional configurations are not defined
by the Soft Panel application itself, except for an initial Soft Panel name, IP
address settings, and some GUI settings. These settings are adjusted using
the Soft Panels Console, and they apply only to the Soft Panels instance
running on that PC.
Encore Soft Panel Names
A Soft Panel instance must be detected on the network before it can receive
a configuration. If a Soft Panel connects to the Panel Server and a configu-
ration for that named panel doesn’t exist, a default configuration for that
panel type will be loaded to it. This default configuration name consists of
the panel type and the last four hexidecimal digits of the MAC address of
the PC running Soft Panels. The helps ensure every panel instance is
unique. Once that Soft Panel with the default configuration exists, you can
use the Panel Server to edit that configuration or apply a template to that
configuration.
An alternative Soft Panel naming convention is to use the panel type as a
prefix and the last octet of the PC’s IP address as a suffix. For example, if
the PC has a 192.168.0.133 address and you are using an XY Soft Panel, the
panel name could be XY-133. A PC’s IP address is easier to determine than
the hexidecimal MAC address. You can also edit a Soft Panel configuration
to give it a descriptive name, for example XY-Edit1
CAUTION Do not create duplicate Soft Panel names on different PCs. Each panel must
have a unique name. To create multiple panels that behave the same, use the
Panel Server to create a template with the desired functionality and apply that
template to different panels.