Application Notes. METTLER TOLEDO Fresh Look. Technical Description

Transcription

1 Application Notes METTLER TOLEDO Fresh Look Technical Description Content 1; Overview ; Content Administration ; Player software ; Communication and Bandwidth ; Server Requirements ; Interfaces with External data ; Installation Requirements METTLER TOLEDO (version April 2010) 1

2 1. Overview Fresh Look is an end-to-end solution designed to facilitate in-store digital marketing. It is a suite of Web-based software applications for the creation, storage, the playback of content on PC-based playback devices, including METTLER TOLDEO scales or and PC-connected LCD displays. It includes all of the tools necessary to develop, manage, distribute and evaluate in-store marketing. Fresh Look is different than other in-store marketing and content distribution tools in two important respects: 1. Fresh Look includes click-and-drag tools to create and manage dynamic content, right in a browser based environment. No additional graphics or photo editing tools are required to produce promotional content. 2. Fresh Look is specifically designed for Fresh departments. It is capable of playing promotional content on the customer-facing displays of METTER TOLEDO service counter scales. It is also designed to deliver content to both shoppers and associates based on the retrieval of specific PLUs, or based on other operator-scale interactions. Fresh Look consists of the following components: 1. Fresh Look Manager 2. Fresh Look Server 3. Fresh Look Player See below for a description of each component. 2

3 1. Fresh Look Manager is a web-based application for the creation, management and distribution of content to in-store playback devices, including scales and LCD displays at any number of separate locations. Fresh Look Manager and all customer data are installed on a central server hosted by METTLER TOLEDO, or optionally hosted by the retailer. Fresh Look Manager is a Flash/Flex-based tool. The application can be accessed with any browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Mozilla, ) or operating system (Microsoft Windows, Apple, Linux), for which the Adobe Macromedia Flash 9 plug-in is available. No additional installations of any software components are required on the client PC. The recommended connection bandwidth between the client browser and the Fresh Look Manager is UMTS or ADSL, or a comparable connection. 2. Fresh Look Server is a METTLER TOLEDO-hosted software-as-a-service offering. It operates on a Microsoft Windows Server Operating System along with a Microsoft SQL database. Retailers can optionally choose to host the Fresh Look Server within their own data center. See below for details on advanced configuration options. 3. Fresh Look Player is a Windows-based* player application that resides on PC-based scales and other PC-based playback devices (LCDs). These devices access the Fresh Look Server via the Internet and retrieve the media to be displayed (videos, images, animations ). During playback, Fresh Look Player relies exclusively on the data stored on the local hard drive. Accordingly, the display is independent of an existing Internet connection. The recommend connection bandwidth between the Fresh Look Player and the Fresh Look Server is UMTS or ADSL, or a comparable setup. Each playback device must have a Fresh Look Promoter application installed with a unique BOX ID. 3

4 2. Content Administration Working with the Fresh Look solution relies on Fresh Look Manager, a Web-based software application. It is accessible via any browser and operating system for which a Macromedia Flash plug-in (v.9) is available. User-specific access rights are used to allow or deny access to certain software functions and/or content areas. This allows different user groups to easily work together. No data are stored on the administrators PC workstations. Instead, all data are saved in the central server. The following media formats can be imported: Videos (MPEG2, MPEG4, MOV, AVI, WMV, FLV, VOB) Animations (flash, animated GIF) Images (JPEG, BMP, PNG, TIFF, GIF) PowerPoint (PPT) Composer spots A separate manual with detailed instructions on creating content and descriptions of the usable media formats is available from METTLER TOLEDO. 4

5 3. Fresh Look Player Security All PCs with an installation of Fresh Look Player (including scales and LCDs), are configured for maximum operating security. All communication is initiated by the playback device, or pulled from the server by the client. The Fresh Look Player can be easily configured to work with a proxy server to connect to the Fresh Look Server. The Fresh Look Player application does not permit or require any access to data outside of the Fresh Look Manager database in order to display content. This guarantees that malformed or defective content cannot download viruses or other malware from the Internet. Additionally, the Fresh Look Player only has access to data stored on its own hard drive as distributed by the Fresh Look Server. Additionally, all Windows utilities with Internet access, such as the automatic updater, can be deactivated upon installation and launching of the Fresh Look Player Components Several components are running simultaneously on each playback device for the following tasks: - Download of media and control data from the Fresh Look Server - Calculation and review of playlists - Playing of playlists or media - Download of Fresh Look Player software updates from the central server and execution of updates - Transmission of reports to the Fresh Look Server for access via the Fresh Look Manager - Clean-up of the hard disk - Monitoring and logging of Fresh Look Player performance The continuous monitoring of all processes guarantees uninterrupted operation. If a spot freezes, for example because of a data error, the monitoring utility detects the freeze within a few minutes, cancels the spot, and restarts it. Software updates Software updates for the Fresh Look Player software and its drivers are imported via the central server system. The Fresh Look Player software download the updates from the Fresh Look Server and execute them. This process guarantees the controlled and secure update of all Fresh Look playback devices. Reports Each playback device transmits information about the played spots, current processes, and system/memory use to the Fresh Look Server. This allows, for example, for a central 5

6 evaluation of the played spots. In case of problems, the scales can generate log files with different levels of detail and send them to the Fresh Look Server. Communication All communication is initiated by the playback device The device connects to the Fresh Look Server in customizable intervals and checks for new content or updates. In this process, the playback device is identified by its unique BOX_ID. BOX_IDs are created and stored in the Fresh Look Manager software. Fresh Look - Manager does not refer to the IP address of the playback device. Typically, the communication occurs exclusively via Port 80 and http, so that firewalls do not constitute a problem. Customers can opt for encrypted communication via https, either with encryption of the entire communication or with the transmission of media files excluded from the encryption. The use of proxy servers can be activated as an option. Control data Dynamic spots that are generated in the Fresh Look Player PC represent an important content component. Dynamically generated spots are typically Adobe Flash-based spots that have been created for the purpose of accessing specific control data. They may include simple spots, such as text-based news, or complex spots with multiple data files and images or videos. Control data generally use xml format and are typically transferred from the central server system to the playback device. Split screen All content can be displayed in either full-screen mode or in split screen mode. In split-screen mode, several independent content feeds (Program Schemes) are displayed simultaneously and independently in separate segments of the display. 6

7 4. Communication and Bandwidth The following channels can be used for communication between the Fresh Look Player application and the Fresh Look Server. - In-house via LAN or WLAN (WiFi) - Internal corporate networks - Internet with dedicated line connections such as ADSL The Fresh Look Player application does not require a separate Internet connection, but can share existing Internet connections with other devices, PCs. etc. The recommended Internet connection bandwidth is at least 256 kbps. Lower bandwidths may be used for specific applications. The connection speed between the playback device and the server has no impact on the media display. The connection is used for the following purposes: - Download of new media and control information (playlists etc.) - Download of new software versions to the playback device - Transmission of status information from the playback device to the server Media are only played when they have been fully downloaded.. The data connection is not used for streaming content to the display. Accordingly, the media display is not affected if the connection fails. In that case, all media already saved will be played in accordance with the playlist settings. The screen will turn blank when the optional and customizable valid playback window has closed. Additionally, evergreen content can also be provisioned as a fail-safe, should a data connection to the Fresh Look Server be unavailable for extended periods. Media are only transferred once to each playback device. The playback device initiates the communication with the server in periodic intervals, which can be individually set. The server does not require the IP address of the scale. The communication uses http and Port 80, which means that firewalls and similar features are not a problem. Proxy servers may also be set up. However, the Fresh Look Players that are serving dynamic content should not be included in the caching of proxy servers to make sure that new data, such as current weather updates, can pass through without obstacles. As an option, https may be used as a transmission protocol if media and control data are to be transmitted in encrypted format. Media are transmitted as http downloads. If a transmission is interrupted, it will continue where it left off when the connection resumes. The accuracy of the transmitted data is verified with a CRC check after every download. Bandwidth We recommend a bandwidth of 256 kbps for Fresh Look Player PCs. Lower bandwidths may be used depending on specific application scenarios. The Fresh Look Server should have a bandwidth of at least 1 Mbps per Web server. Higher bandwidths may be necessary on the server side, depending on the number of playback devices included in the configuration and the data volume of the content to be updated. 7

8 Control of bandwidth utilization The actual usage of the bandwidth can be set up with time controls, for example with lower bandwidth use during the daytime (for the distribution of news items and important information) and higher bandwidth use at night for larger data volumes (such as image videos). Additionally, the settings allow for specifying a maximum number of parallel updates at various times of the day. The playback devices also contain setting options for different query intervals for various times of the day. 8

9 Special configurations for large numbers of playback devices When serving large numbers of playback devices or when bandwidth restrictions exist between the server and playback devices, both the Fresh Look Server and Fresh Look Player applications can be provisioned with special configuration options, as follows: 1. Load-balanced media and web servers The database server component of the Fresh Look Server should remain centralized, so that the playback devices can retrieve (small) control data from a central Fresh Look Database Server. However, other server-related tasks can be provisioned on to redundant or regional instances, for transmission-intensive applications. In this configuration, redundant servers supply only a sub-group of playback devices with the appropriate content Additionally a single Fresh Look Server can be provisioned across multiple physical servers to spread the load of serving content and/or web services to a large number of playback devices. In both cases, the database component of the Fresh Look Server remains centralized. 2. Fresh Look Player Configuration for Alternate Server Address(es) Fresh Look Players can be configured to automatically pull content from alternate Fresh Look Servers, if the default media server is not available. 3. Fresh Look Player Peer-to-Peer Content Retrieval If several playback devices are installed in one location with a shared Internet connection and an internal LAN or WLAN structure, a special configuration can prevent multiple media downloads over this Internet connection and significantly reduce bandwidth use. Prior to initiating a download, each playback device checks whether a media file has already been saved by one of the other devices nearby, or whether another device is currently downloading the same file. If this is the case, the device can retrieve the file from another device in the same LAN and does not cause any strain to the Internet connection. In this configuration, the Fresh Look Server only receives a (small) message to confirm that each playback device has received the media. Based on such a peer-topeer structure, whereby a centralized Fresh Look Player PC servs in the capacity of a proxy, multiple downloads of the same file in a single location is substantially reduced or eliminated. 9

10 5. Server Structure and Requirements Fresh Look Server uses a scalable server structure appropriate for the number of connected playback devices, and allows for further growth. Each Fresh Look Server can supply data to 500 to 1,000 displays. These servers can also assume other tasks (database server, application server). In case of larger numbers of play devices, the individual tasks are divided among several servers. Accordingly, the structure of a system with up to 200 connected screens would be configured as follows: 10

11 In larger architectures, one data distribution server (Web server) is used for every 500-1,000 displays. If necessary, further scaling can be achieved by separating the database and Web servers. The configuration below is recommended for up to 500 scales: 11

12 The final configuration is structured as follows: The database server may also consist of a cluster, and servers can be set up as virtual servers. In the case of large installations, a separate Web server is recommended for administration to ensure that the system work is not impacted by the data transfer to the player PCs. Security The server structure should not permi for any external access to the database. The only permissible access should be through the Web utilities running on the Web servers. 12

13 6. Interfaces with External Data Data-driven content is an essential part of the displayed material. Examples include - News tickers - Products, prices, special sales offers The objective is to integrate the Fresh Look solution into the existing IT landscape to utilize the existing data. This results in current, target-group-specific communication with low expenditures. Texts and images come from interfaces such as materials management systems or Excel tables. The data are distributed to the playback devices on the basis of regional and timing characteristics. The playback devices automatically generate spots from the content on the basis of dynamic templates. While spots are filled with data, the data can also control which content is to be displayed where. 13

14 Typically, the data are sent from the data source to the centralized Fresh Look system, where they may be reformatted and then distributed to the playback devices. This distribution can be based on specific location characteristics. Examples of such an approach would be regional distribution of information based on postal codes or materials management data for certain locations based on location IDs. In special cases, data may also be transmitted directly to the playback devices. Within the playback device, the data are saved in special data directories that can be accessed by the Flash spots. A utility running on the playback device verifies whether the necessary data for a spot are available to ensure that the spot is not displayed blank or at an invalid time. For this purpose, the data file contains standard tags, which indicate, e.g., the validity period of the data. 14

15 7. Installation Requirements The following requirements apply to the installation of the Fresh Look Server. Customer s choosing to host their own server hardware must meet these requirements. Remote access METTLER TOLEDO requires a remote access to all servers for installation and maintenance. If this access is to use VPN, the corresponding VPN software must be provided to METTLER TOLEDO. Domain If the installation is to be divided among several physical servers, Fresh Look Manager expects all Fresh Look Servers and Fresh Look Players to be in the same domain. User rights METTLER TOLEDO requires a user ID with administrative rights for all servers for installation and maintenance. Windows 2003 scenario If the installation is to occur on a Windows 2003 server, METTLER TOLEDO needs the server installation sources provided in a directory (folder "I386" of the server CD). Please note that only the 32-bit edition is suitable for the installation of a Windows 2003 Web server (front-end server). Web access Unlimited Internet access is needed for the installation and for maintenance purposes. Call-up page The HTTP call-up page selected for the server operation (e.g., must be known in advance. If different servers are to be used for front-end GUI and data distribution boxes, every server needs its own subdomain. FTP Server If an FTP server is to be used on the Fresh Look Promoter server for various data deliveries (data-driven content), the necessary ports need to be enabled for this purpose. MS SQL Server 2005 In case of an existing SQL server, we either need a Windows user with DBOWNER rights for a blank MSSQL 2005 or the Fresh Look Promoter user needs full access rights to the database if an SQL user has been defined. The password for a Windows user may not expire at any time. 15