December 2017 Mediasite Administrator Update(Archive)

December 13, 2017 Peter T Watson

Mediasite Server, Recorder Software and Recorder Disc Image Versions

Test server: 7.2, Build 1437.
Production server: 7.0.30, Build 3758.
Production recorder software version: 7.1.13, Build 4595*
Testing recorder software version: 7.1.14 Build 4963
Recorder disc image 7.1.13.

.* See first item, below.

NC State Mediasite help requests email: mediasite-help@ncsu.edu

Recorder Versions

Recorder version 7.1.13 Build 4595 is available on the production server. It’s considered a “private release” so there aren’t any SOFO Release Notes on it. The only difference between Build 4591 and 4595 is a bug fix that corrects an intermittent loss of serial control. Sonic Foundry added that one fix to 4591 just for us. That bug fix is incorporated into the official release of 7.1.14, which was made available December 6.

Recorder version 7.1.14 Build 4963 has been uploaded to the test environment and is available for testing. We won’t have time to fully test version 7.1.14 before the spring semester.

Check Sonic Foundry Release Notes for notes on new features, bug fixes and known issues.

The 7.1.14 Recorder Guide is also available.

November Carolinas MUG follow-up

Thanks to those of you who were able to attend the November 15 Carolinas Mediasite User Group meeting. We hope you found the information useful and the time well spent.

For those of you who couldn’t attend, we’ve requested a copy of the PowerPoint used during the presentation and a link to a recording of a similar presentation done in Toronto that Tom Irons referenced several times. We’ll share both with you as soon as Sonic Foundry gets them to us.

Recorder and Test Server Update Roadmap

Recorder update: 7.1.14 Build 4963 just released.

We recommend using 7.1.13 Build 4595 for the Spring 2018 semester.

Test server version: The test server is currently on 7.2, Build 1437. Version 7.2.1 is slated for release in December. We will upgrade the test environment as soon as the new server version is available.

At this time these 7.2 features are considered “beta”:

Showcase annotations
IBM Watson Speech-to-Text integration (for captions)
Quizzing feature

Which means SOFO is still developing those features and some aspects of them won’t work.

These 7.2 features are ready for testing:

Record Now is for ad-hoc recording on recorders or using Mediasite Catch. It’s supposed to be fully functional at this time.
Catch is the software based recording feature intended for conference rooms and other spaces that are more lightly equipped/ used than classrooms.
Catch is supposed to be fully functional, but Sonic Foundry has admonished us to carefully read the Catch “Known Issues” in the Release Notes.
Details on how to use both features are in the Mediasite Catch Deployment Guide, available on the Sonic Foundry Support website.
Please note: Catch requires additional licensing and is not enabled on all of the test instances. Contact us at mediasite-help@ncsu.edu when you are ready to test it.

Testing 7.2

We will continue testing 7.2 in our testing environment and we encourage our campus partners to engage in their own testing of 7.2. The testing environment is available 24/7. Details on accessing the test environment are below.

Mediasite Server Maintenance

Information about Mediasite maintenance and all other NC State systems can be found on SysNews.

Recorder Upgrade Process

I’m leaving the recorder upgrade process notes in the Mediasite Admin updates through the Fall semester, so they are easy to find when/if you need them. Not all recorders have been updated; everyone has different work flows and demands. We encourage campus partners to upgrade recorders by the Spring 2018 semester.

As noted previously, the 7.1.13 image has Microsoft security updates and the 7.1.13 recorder software version enables the University standard encryption of TLS 1.2.

The upgrade process is listed below, in case there are additional recorders that need to be upgraded.

Complete recorder upgrade instructions are here. Please note that these instructions cover upgrading from a variety of recorder versions, so locate the instructions for your current version in the document.

The new ISO packages preserve certificates and recorder settings, but again, we always recommend you back both up and save them in a secure place, in case you need to import them.

Reference Release Notes and Knowledge Base Articles (KBA’s) if you encounter problems

Sonic Foundry website link to 7.1.14 Release Notes
Sonic Foundry KBA’s are here.

Testing Your Production Workflow

The Mediasite testing environment is available 24/7.

Every Mediasite Instance is on the test server.
You have access to your test Instance, 24/7, which is identical to your production instance URL with the addition of “-testing” after the college/department name, such as delta-testing, coe-testing, textiles-testing, etc.
If you experience any difficulties, email mediasite-help@ncsu.edu.

All Sonic Foundry Release Notes, bug fixes and known issues are available on the Sonic Foundry Support website.

Closed Captioning

When working with a captioning provider, always reference the NC State Convenience Contract 298479 to ensure you receive the discounted rate. Information about NC State closed captioning is on the OIT Accessibility website:

https://accessibility.oit.ncsu.edu/choosing-a-captioning-company/

More Information

NC State Mediasite

For NC State Mediasite information email mediasite-help@ncsu.edu.
Subscribe to Mediasite updates by sending the message “subscribe mediasite” to mj2@lists.ncsu.edu.
Unsubscribe to Mediasite updates by sending the message “unsubscribe mediasite” to mj2@lists.ncsu.edu.

Maintenance Schedules and Updates

DELTA Updates and Maintenance Schedule: https://wolfware.ncsu.edu/updates-maintenance/
NC State Sysnews: https://sysnews.ncsu.edu/

Sonic Foundry

Sonic Foundry general information: mediasite@sonicfoundry.com.
Sonic Foundry Customer Support website: Mediasite Customer Assurance Portal
Sonic Foundry Customer Support phone: 877.783.7987

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