Lansing Community College is located in the heart of
historic downtown Lansing, Michigan. The staff of the Media
Center has used Synergy for many years to automate the
distribution and control of their media library. While
Synergy initally met their needs, they eventually outgrew
the system. As they researched alternatives, they were
unable to find a solution that was a satisfactory
replacement for Synergy at a reasonable cost. That is, until
they learned about Realm Control Corp. and Phoenix, the next
generation of Synergy. The facility was upgraded in May of
2004.
The "Great Barrier"
Lansing Community College is not a typical Synergy facility
due to the number of classrooms that require automation.
Most facilities that are automated via Synergy are bound by
the limitations of the AXcess control system, which means
they may support no more than 255 destinations. LCC has need
of automating more than 255 rooms, a need for which Synergy
is inadequate. There is an AXcess solution to this problem
known as MultiServer. However, MultiServer is obsolete and
unsupported, making it an undesirable path for LCC to
pursue. Also, MultiServer entails addition of a second
Synergy server and a separate AXcess control system. In
general, the solution is not elegant and it is inherently
proned to instability, potentially requiring a great deal of
maintenance by Engineers with specialized knowledge of
MultiServer. Consequently, MultiServer was not the right
upgrade path for Lansing Community College (or any other
facility).
Finally, An Elegant Solution
Phoenix offers an elegant solution to overcome the 255
device barrier. By adding a separate NetLinx control system
for each group of Television Managers, any facility can grow
with virtually unlimited expandability. Each additional
NetLinx system is considered a "Hub System" and may serve an
additional 255 AXlink bus devices. Due to the distribution
topology of the Television Managers at LCC, their installing
Dealer chose to add two Hub Systems, allowing the campus to
control a maximum of 765 destinations (actually about 700 if
we reserve 65 devices for the Head End sources). In Phoenix,
each Television Manager is addressed according to the Hub on
which it resides, having a System ID of 1, 2, or 3. For
example, if a Television Manager resides on the local AXlink,
or on the AXlink of a "remote" NetLinx master that is not
configured as a Hub, it will be entered in the database with
an address of 128:1:1 (Device:Port:System). The same AXlink
ID may be entered for Hub 2 with an AXlink ID of 128:1:2,
and likewise for Hub 3 which would be addressed as 128:1:3.
This allows duplication of AXlink addresses, a capability
that was not possible with the Synergy AXcess system.
The 255 device barrier has been an issue for some time and
various solutions have been implemented to overcome it
throughout the years. The true solution as implemented at
LCC has been available since the founding of Realm Control Corp.. The
installation at LCC is the first field test, validating its
viability in the "real world." At Realm Control Corp., it is our hope
that AMX Corp. will eventually develop a Television Manager
that is controllable via TCP/IP, which will simplify matters
even more by allowing facilities to use both AXcess and
NetLinx Television Managers.
As part of the upgrade to the overall system, it was decided
by LCC that the time had come to supplement their analog
arsenal with a digital file server. After considering
various possible solutions, they decided to install the AMX
MAX MultiMedia Server (MMS), which is fully supported by
Phoenix. Therefore, this installation represented a couple
of milestones for Realm Control Corp., first in regards to the 255
device barrier and also because they were the first Phoenix
facility to add control of the powerful AMX MAX digital file
server. By adding the MAX they are also able to provide
Video On Demand services to their end users, further adding
to the usability and overall power of the Media Retrieval
system.
The AMX MAX
The Digital Media Revolution
As
part of the upgrade to the overall system, it was decided by LCC that the time
had come to supplement their analog arsenal with a digital file
server. After considering various possible solutions, they decided to install the
AMX MAX MultiMedia Server (MMS), which is fully supported by
Phoenix. Therefore, this installation represented a couple of milestones for Realm Control Corp.,
first in regards to the 255 device barrier and also because they were the
first Phoenix facility to add control of the powerful AMX MAX digital file server. By
adding the MAX they are also able to provide Video On Demand services to their
end users, further adding to the usability and overall power of the Media
Retrieval system.
The Upgrade
TeL Systems was the
installing Dealer at Lansing Community College. Two Engineers from
TeL Systems, Michael Henderlong and Douglas Nell, worked with Shane Burke of
Realm Control Corp. to implement the upgrade. Prior to Shane's arrival on Monday, 17
May 2004, Michael and Douglas installed a dedicated LAN to serve the NetLinx
control systems and the Phoenix Server. Upon arrival, Shane loaded all of
the NetLinx control systems with the appropriate NetLinx code. This
entailed uploading of code to the Head End system (known as Hub 1), two
additional Hub Systems, and six standalone (or "remote") NetLinx systems. Aside from
various tweaks to both the Phoenix system and the network, the installation was
completed without
complications.
The Upgrade
TeL Systems was the installing Dealer at Lansing Community
College. Two Engineers from TeL Systems, Michael Henderlong
and Douglas Nell, worked with Shane Burke of Realm Control Corp. to
implement the upgrade. Prior to Shane's arrival on Monday,
17 May 2004, Michael and Douglas installed a dedicated LAN
to serve the NetLinx control systems and the Phoenix Server.
Upon arrival, Shane loaded all of the NetLinx control
systems with the appropriate NetLinx code. This entailed
uploading of code to the Head End system (known as Hub 1),
two additional Hub Systems, and six standalone (or "remote")
NetLinx systems. Aside from various tweaks to both the
Phoenix system and the network, the installation was
completed without complications.
Conclusion
Realm Control Corp. would like to thank
TeL Systems for facilitating
this upgrade at Lansing Community College, especially Karl Couyoumjan, Michael Henderlong, Douglas Nell, and Michael
McCay. TeL Systems has many years of experience regarding
the design, installation, and support of control systems.
TeL Systems is a leader in the industry with proven
expertise and an established track record of competence and
reliability.
Realm Control Corp. also extends sincere gratitude to the staff and
faculty of Lansing Community College, especially Dennis
Clark and Dale Willett in the Media Retrieval Center.
The installation at LCC further validates that Phoenix is
the right solution for the Media Retrieval and Campus
Automation needs of any facility, large or small. Because
LCC chose to upgrade their existing Synergy system to
Phoenix, the Media Retrieval system can continue to grow
with the needs of the campus for years to come.
