Configuration preset considerations

There are important considerations that you should know before you start using configuration presets, including:

Access to presets and privacy considerations
The potential to lock the touch screen
Channel and recorder index number behavior
Recording and streaming states
Recorded files in a channel or recorder
Deleting channels and recorders
Orphaned Kaltura resource registrations and duplicate resources

Access to presets and privacy considerations

Recorded files are not removed when you apply a configuration preset. Any user with access to Pearl-2 has access to all the saved recordings, custom channel layout, etc that are associated with an applied configuration preset.
Configuration presets can be overwritten and deleted without a password. Users who are logged in to the Admin panel can remove or change an existing configuration preset.
Applying a configuration presets does not clear the settings from groups that aren't a part of the preset, which means user information is not private.
Media and recorded files can be deleted, affecting more than just the currently applied configuration preset. Users can erase uploaded media or recordings that belong to other users.

Media files that you've uploaded to Pearl-2 (logos, background images, etc) are included in the configuration preset and must be present on the system when creating a preset that includes the Channels group; otherwise, a failure is reported.

Locking out the touch screen

The touch screen configuration group includes all the security settings for the touch screen. It's possible to apply a preset that effectively locks out all further use of the touch screen. If this happens, use the Admin panel to re-enable the touch screen, see Configure the touch screen.

Channel and recorder index number behavior

Each channel and recorder has an index number. The first channel created on a system is channel 1, subsequently channel 2, 3, 4, etc. Recorders are also created starting at index 1 with numbers incrementing as new recorders are created. The channel (or recorder) index number is found to the left of the channel or recorder name in the Admin panel:

Configuration presets that contain the channels configuration group specify the channels in the preset by their index number. This means if you have channels 1, 2, 3 and 4 when you save your preset, applying that preset will overwrite the configuration of your current channels with indexes 1, 2, 3 and 4. If prior to applying that preset you also had channels with indexes 5 and 6, the configuration settings for those two channels are erased when the preset is applied (because the preset only has 4 channels).

There are three areas where channel (and recorder) index numbers affect what happens when applying configuration presets. Read Recording and streaming states Recorded files in a channel or recorder and Deleting channels and recorders for more information.

Recording and streaming states

The channels configuration group includes recording and streaming states for channels and recorder's. This means that if a channel is streaming or a channel (or recorder) is recording at the time you create a configuration preset, the channel will immediately start recording (or streaming) whenever you apply that preset to the channel. Similarly, if a configuration preset is created when a channel or recorder is not recording (or streaming), applying that preset later won't cause the channel and recorder to start recording (or streaming).

This means a channel (or recorder) may stop recording or streaming as a result of applying the preset if the channel (or recorder) was actively recording or streaming before applying the preset.

For example, when applying a preset with channel 3 set to record (the same example applies for streaming):

If channel 3 exists prior to applying the preset and is already recording, the file will continue recording uninterrupted unless the recording file type is different in the preset (in which case a new file is started).
If channel 3 exists prior to applying the preset and is not already recording, it immediately begins recording.
If no channel with index 3 exists prior to applying the preset, the channel is created and it immediately begins recording.

Recorded files in a channel or recorder

A channel and recorder keep a list of recordings in the Recordings section in the Admin panel. These files remain on the system even if the channel or recorder configuration is changed or removed as a result of applying a configuration preset.

For example, prior to applying your configuration preset, you have channels with indexes 1, 2 and 3; each of these has five recording files. When you apply a configuration preset that has channels with index 1 and 2 only, you'll notice those channels each still have the same 5 recording files. Channel with index 3 is no longer present, but the files are not lost!

Overwritten channel files are still available. To access and download/delete these recorded files, enter the following into the address bar:

http://<deviceIP>/admin/channelN/archive or

http://<deviceIP>/admin/recorderN/archive, where N is the index of the removed channel/recorder.

For example, if a Channel with index 3 is no longer present, its corresponding files can be accessed by entering the following into the address bar:

http://192.168.0.183/admin/channel3/archive

If you now create a new channel with index 3 (or load a preset that contains a channel with index 3), you'll find it starts with five recorded files in the Recordings section. These are the same recorded files that existed at the start of this example.

Furthermore, if you delete any of the recordings, you are deleting the only instance of those files. Using our previous example, if you delete one of the five recordings from channel index 1, you'll find that even after applying different presets channel 1 will have only four recorded files.

Deleting channels and recorders

Recorded files are stored on the system based on their channel or recorder number. All files saved for channel index 1 are in one folder, and all files for recorder index 2 are in another. When you delete a channel (or recorder), you permanently delete all recordings for that channel (or recorder) even if those recordings were made while a different preset is applied.

Applying a configuration preset with a different set of channels or recorders is not the same as deleting a channel.

When deleting a channel or recorder that has recorded files, the Admin panel warns you of other configuration presets that use the same channel or recorder index numbers. When you see this prompt, we recommend you take a moment to look through the Recordings list to make sure you're okay to proceed with permanently deleting all the recorded files.

Orphaned Kaltura resource registrations and duplicate resources

Returning Pearl-2 to the factory defaults using the factory default configuration preset or performing a factory reset does not delete the registered resource instance in Kaltura CMS. In that case, you can reregister your Pearl-2 using the same resource name and take over for the resource instance that is still registered in Kaltura, see Reassign a registered resource.

If you apply a configuration preset to set up a replacement Pearl-2 with the settings from a Pearl-2 that is currently registered with Kaltura, the replacement Pearl-2 assumes the identity of the registered resource. However, you risk having two active Pearl-2 resources with the same identity, which can effect recording and the content that's uploaded to Kaltura for scheduled events.

To remove the risk of having two active devices with the same registered resource identity in Kaltura, we recommend powering down one of the Pearl-2 resources, then disconnect it from the network and consider performing a factory reset or applying the factory default configuration preset.