Table Of Contents

Understanding the Folder Attendant User Interface

User Interface Overview

Information Panel

Menu Bar

Toolbox

Profile Browser

Main Window

Toolbox

Profile Browser

Using the Profile Browser to Select a Job Profile

User Administration

Role Administration

Job Status Monitor

Tasks

Errors

Error Types and Possible Solutions

System Status Monitor

Folder Attendant Administration

Understanding the Folder Attendant User Interface

---

Revised: October 10, 2008, OL-16995-01

This section includes the following topics:

•User Interface Overview

•Toolbox

•Profile Browser

•User Administration

•Role Administration

•Job Status Monitor

•System Status Monitor

•Folder Attendant Administration

User Interface Overview

The main page components of the Folder Attendant, shown in Figure 11-1, are described in the following sections:

•Information Panel

•Menu Bar

•Toolbox

•Profile Browser

•Main Window

Figure 11-1 Folder Attendant User Interface Components

Information Panel

This area provides the following information:

•User: Displays the name of the user currently logged into Folder Attendant.

•Change Password: Click this link to change your password.

•Logout: Select this link to log out of Folder Attendant or log in as a different user.

•Server: Displays the host name of the server with which Folder Attendant is communicating.

Menu Bar

Folder Attendant menus allow you to do the following tasks:

•File: Change your password or log out.

•View: Selecting options under View is the same as selecting these options in the Toolbox. Select Customize to display or hide user interface components (Administration, Monitoring, and/or Folder Attendant main window).

•Help: View the software version number and read Help files.

Toolbox

The Toolbox provides links to all Folder Attendant pages. The pages are grouped by category under Administration, Monitoring, and Folder Attendant. Each selection can be expanded to allow quick access to all pages.

Profile Browser

The Profile Browser provides an easy way to locate Job Profiles that have been defined in the Client User Interface and stored in the Profile Directory. Specify the Job Profile when you add or edit a watch. Select the Job Profile from a drop-down box in the Folder Attendant Administration page or from the Profile Browser.

Main Window

The Main Window displays the information selected in the Toolbox:

•User Administration

•Role Administration

•Job Status Monitor

•System Status Monitor

•Folder Attendant Administration

Toolbox

The Toolbox is a navigation tool that allows you to quickly view any Folder Attendant pages.

All of the functions provided by the Toolbox can also be performed from the View menu.

Click any of the items in the Toolbox, shown in Figure 11-2, to display the selected page.

Figure 11-2 Toolbox

Profile Browser

See also: Using the Profile Browser to Select a Job Profile.

The Profile Browser is a tool that allows you to easily locate Job Profiles.

See also: Using a Job Profile to Submit a Job to learn more about creating and using Job Profiles to submit jobs.

The Profile Browser, shown in Figure 11-3, displays on the left side of the page.

Figure 11-3 Profile Browser

If the Profile Browser is not displayed, depending on your current display, do one of the following:

•From the main menu, select View > Customize > Toggle Navigation Column.

or

•From the main menu, select View > Customize > Profile Browser.

Using the Profile Browser to Select a Job Profile

Use the Profile Browser to select a Job Profile for a watch.

Procedure

---

Step 1 Access the Folder Attendant Administration page.

Step 2 Select a directory, and from the Watch drop-down, select Add or Edit.

Step 3 In the Profile Browser, select Job Profile in the Browse Type field, and then select Search. A list of job profiles defined in the system displays in the Results area.

Step 4 Double-click a job profile. It automatically populates the Job Profile field in the Watch section, as shown in Figure 11-4.

Figure 11-4 Job Profiles Listed in Profile Browser

---

User Administration

Set up users and user permissions on the User Administration page:

•From the toolbox, select Administration > User.

or

•From the main menu, select View > Administration > User.

The top pane of User Administration displays users that have been created, as shown in Figure 11-5. The lower pane displays the permissions for each user.

Figure 11-5 User Administration Page

The Cisco MXE 3000 comes with one predefined user:

•admin: The predefined password is also admin. We recommend that your Administrator immediately change the admin password.

See also: Creating New Users.

---

Caution Upon receipt of your system, the predefined admin user is the only user who can perform Folder Attendant administrative tasks such as creating users, assigning roles, deleting users, and denying or removing user permissions. Do not delete the predefined admin user until you have created at least one new admin user.

---

Role Administration

Set up roles and role permissions on the Role Administration page.

To access Role Administration:

•From the Toolbox, select Administration > Role.

or

•From the main menu, select View > Administration > Role.

The top pane of Role Administration displays roles that have been created, as shown in Figure 11-6. The lower pane displays the permissions for each role.

Figure 11-6 Role Administration Page

The Cisco MXE 3000 comes with two predefined roles:

•admin: Set up with permission to access all functions.

•user: Set up to with permission to access all functions, except administrative.

Job Status Monitor

This section also includes the following topics:

•Tasks

•Errors

See also: Monitoring Job Status.

View job status and perform tasks related to job status from with the Job Status Monitor. The monitor displays all jobs (pending, running, complete, or failed) that have not been reaped (deleted by the system).

To access the Job Status Monitor:

•From the Toolbox, select Monitoring > Job Status.

•From the main menu, select View > Monitoring > Job Status.

The Job Status Monitor upper pane displays the jobs that are currently pending, running, complete, or failed, as shown in Figure 11-7. Jobs are color coded based on their status.

See also: Monitoring Job Status.

Figure 11-7 Job Status Monitor Upper Pane

The jobs displayed may disappear as you are viewing them because the system automatically removes (reaps) jobs based on the Auto Reap interval. The Auto Reap interval specifies how long job information displays on the Job Status Monitor before it is cleared from the monitor. When the system reaps jobs, it removes data that has been processed and completed. The Auto Reap interval begins from the time a job completes (or when it fails).

For more information on setting the Auto Reap interval, see the Depoyment and Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3000 on Cisco.com.

The upper pane of the Job Status Monitor provides job information, as described in Table 11-1.

Table 11-1 Job Status Fields 

Field	Description
Job ID	Displays the job ID number as generated by the host.
Job Profile Name	Displays the name of the job profile that was defined when the watch was set up.
Title	Displays the job title that was defined when the watch was set up.
Author	Displays the author of the job that was defined when the watch was set up.
Submit Time	Displays the time when the job was automatically submitted for processing. This column can be sorted by last submitted job or by first submitted job.
Priority	Displays the job priority that was defined when the watch was set up. Priority can be between 1 and 100, with 1 having the highest priority.
Status	Displays the status of the job as it is being processed. Possible values are: •Pending: The job is currently in the queue and has not started. •Running: The job is currently running. •Completed: The job has successfully completed. •Failed: The job failed or the user manually stopped the job.

---

Note Click on any of the headings (Job ID, Job Profile Name, etc.) at the top of the Job Status Monitor to sort the open jobs by the selected field. By default, jobs are sorted from most recently submitted to earliest submitted. If all jobs do not display, use the scroll bars to view the remaining jobs.

---

Tasks

The lower pane of the Job Status Monitor displays job tasks or job errors, depending on which tab you select, as shown in Figure 11-8. Double-click a job in the upper pane to display its tasks or errors in the lower pane.

Figure 11-8 Job Status Monitor Tasks

Each task within the job, and its status, are listed. Table 11-2 describes the Task fields.

Table 11-2 Task Fields 

Field	Description
Task ID	Displays a unique numerical ID assigned to each task within the job.
Task Type	The task type represents the specific type of task that is executed by a given worker (examples: prefilter, Flash encoder, file manager, etc.) on a specific node. The tasks are defined by the Job Profile selected for the job. See also: Introduction to Job Profiles for more information on the Job Profiles and tasks.
Begin Time	Displays the time when the task was started.
Complete Time	Displays the time when the task was completed.
% Complete	Displays the percentage of the task that is currently complete.
Task Status	Displays the current status of the task. Possible values are: •Pending: Task is waiting to be scheduled for execution. •Depend: Task is waiting for a task that it depends on to be successfully completed before it can begin. •Complete: Task completed successfully. •Running: Task is currently executing. •Failed: The task failed, or the user stopped the job.

Errors

Click the Errors tab to view task error information, as described in Table 11-3.

Table 11-3 Error Fields 

Field	Description
Task ID	Displays the ID number of the task that was running when the error occurred.
Task Type	Describes the type of task that was being performed when the error occurred.
Failure Message	Describes the error. Typically, these are warning or error level messages returned from a given worker executing a task.

Error Types and Possible Solutions

There are many types of errors that might display, including the following:

•Network errors or permission issues: Try rescheduling the job to see if the network errors clear, and/or recheck permissions. (To obtain additional details on network and permission issues, contact your Cisco MXE 3000 administrator.)

•Errors related to Folder Attendant not running: View the Folder Attendant Log to determine a possible cause.

•Errors related to the system not running: Contact your Cisco MXE 3000 administrator.

•Errors related to jobs failing: Check to see that job profiles are set correctly and that valid media is chosen for that profile, and resubmit the job.

See also: Troubleshooting Folder Attendant.

System Status Monitor

View information about system components currently involved in processing jobs on the System Status Monitor. This page displays one line of information for each host in the system. Each line contains bars that represent an encoder or other worker.

See also: Viewing System Status.

To access the System Status Monitor:

•From the Toolbox, select Monitoring > System Status.

•From the main menu, select View > Monitoring > System Status.

The colored bars for each task indicate the type of worker that is running, the Job ID, and the percentage of the task that is complete, as shown in Figure 11-9.

Figure 11-9 System Status Monitor

For example, the two colored bars in Figure 11-9 indicate:

•A Flash encoder running Task ID #14 is 0% complete.

•A prefilter running Task ID #15 is 0% complete.

If the status area extends beyond the visible area, use the horizontal scroll bar at the bottom of the page to view all tasks for the host.

The status area only shows tasks that are currently running. Once tasks are complete, they no longer display.

---

Note The Max Cap value that appears on the right side of the pane displays the maximum number of tasks that can run on one node at one time.

---

Folder Attendant Administration

Set up directories and watches from the Folder Attendant Administration page and define filters to select the information that is displayed on the Folder Attendant Administration page.

To access the Folder Attendant Administration page:

•Select Folder Attendant from the View menu.

•Select Folder Attendant from the Toolbox.

If you perform either of these actions, the Folder Attendant Administration page, shown in Figure 11-10, displays.

Figure 11-10 Folder Attendant Administration Page

The Folder Attendant Administration page displays the directories and watches that have been set up. It includes the information described in Table 11-4. The fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required.

Table 11-4 Fields on the Folder Attendant Administration Page 

Field	Description
Directory	Displays the name of the file system directory or FTP URL currently being monitored. This information is entered when you add a new directory.
Profile	Displays the Job Profile of the watch. A watch is a unique combination of the Directory and Profile. See also: Creating Job Profiles (CLUI) for more information about profiles. This information is entered when you add a new watch. If this field is blank, a watch has not been set up for this directory.
Priority	Displays the job priority of the watch. The priority is used to determine which task to schedule for execution when there are multiple pending tasks to schedule. The priority is entered when you add a new watch. If this field is blank, a watch has not been set up for this directory.
State	Displays the availability of the monitored directory. Possible values are: •Online: Directory is currently being monitored. •Offline: Folder Attendant is unable to monitor (get a list of files for) the selected directory. There is most likely an error. •Disabled: Indicates that a user has turned off (paused) the monitoring of the selected directory.
# Files	Displays the number of files (media or XML) submitted in the monitored directory. If this field is blank, a watch has not been setup for this directory.

You can also filter the directories that are displayed on this page to view only those directories of interest.