System
Last updated
Last updated
When you first log in to the Pathfinder Core PRO web page, you will be presented with the System Status page. This is the same web page displayed when clicking the System link in the navigation bar.
This screen is primarily informational outside of the licensing configuration fields. There are four sections:
This shows which of the two Firmware Banks is currently active and the version of software running in that Bank.
This shows the current license in the system and its capabilities.
This shows graphs representing the current CPU, memory, Ethernet utilization, and available disk space. The graphs are updated automatically every two seconds.
This section provides download links to the online documentation.
Under the System heading in the navigation bar is a Configuration link. If you've already referenced the Quick Start Guide, you will have already been introduced to this page.
Access the web interface by typing in the IP address configured earlier in a web browser; an authentication window will appear; type the following values: Username = Admin Password = Admin
Select Sign In to load the Pathfinder Core PRO control panel
From the links in the left-hand navigation bar, click Configuration under the System heading
Next to Livewire Endpoint Discovery, click Start
When a new device is discovered, the system will add it to its device list and add any route points provided by the device into the audio and GPIO router. This is one of the first options you will use when configuring a new system as it is how you will discover the equipment that Pathfinder Core PRO can control.
When discovery is enabled, the button will say Stop instead of Start; clicking the button will stop any additional automatic discovery.
Important Note: Pathfinder Core PRO uses the IP address of a device as the unique identifier of that device within the system. If you change the IP address of a device, Pathfinder Core PRO will treat it as a new device. This is why we recommend setting up your basic Axia infrastructure first before introducing Pathfinder Core PRO to the mix.
Current IP address information is visible in the Network Configuration section of the System > Configuration page.
System IP options can be edited using the front panel display or through the web GUI.
Click the Configure button to open the network interface’s Edit screen
Type the IP Address, Netmask, and Gateway values and click OK, or click Cancel to leave this dialog without making any changes
Important Note: Network interface changes will not take effect until you reboot the system. Therefore, after changing the IP options, you will notice that Network Configuration screen will show the changes in parenthesis and will sport a shiny new Reboot button.
The DNS section lists the currently defined DNS servers.
With correctly configured DNS settings, the system can send emails to administrators and employees alerting them to network changes requiring attention. For example, you can send emails when critical sources or destinations such as air chains become silent. To do this, the system needs to be able to resolve email server names with the correct IP addresses to send the email through. The DNS entries can also be used when entering NTP server information. Talk to your network administrator if you are unsure of which DNS servers to use.
Click the DNS Server Configure button to open the Dns Entries dialog, allowing you to add, remove, and reorder DNS server entries
Click Add to add a new DNS server to the list and Remove to remove a DNS server entry
To move a DNS Server up or down in the priority list, select a DNS server entry and click the << or >> buttons
Click OK to save your changes or Cancel to leave the dialog without making any changes
Important Note: DNS changes do not require a reboot to become active.
Each Pathfinder Core PRO system includes a base license allowing a 1000 license point pool to be allocated between both Axia Audio Sources and Logic Flow endpoints.
Important Note: The licensing model changed with version 1.6 of Pathfinder Core PRO. In previous versions, the base license provided only 500 Axia Audio Sources and 500 Logic Flow endpoints, and add-on licenses would have to be applied to one or the other. Many customers found they needed more Axia Audio Source points but did not need as many Logic Flow points, resulting in the new licensing model defining the shared license point pool. We also added the new license types described below.
If you purchased a hardware-based Pathfinder Core PRO, the base license is pre‑installed. If you purchased a virtual machine license, there are three possible license types:
Additional licenses to add functionality may be purchased through your Axia distributer, with each additional licenses providing either an additional 500 (the Pathfinder Core PRO Add-On 500) or 100 (the Pathfinder Core PRO Add-On 100) license points.
Add-on licenses are shared between the Pathfinder Core PRO units that are participating in a clustered system. This means that if you need a redundant Pathfinder Core PRO system that supports 1400 license points, you will need to purchase two Pathfinder Core PRO systems (each of which comes with a base license or backup license) and a single add-on license to add the additional 500 sources. The add-on license allows both systems in the cluster to mirror and synchronize the full 1400 license point functionality.
Important Note: Virtual sources and GPIO sources do not count against the license. Only Axia Audio Sources with enabled streams and Logic Flow endpoints are counted in the licensing. Additionally, Logic Flows which are dynamically created by the system during HTML5 panel binding and/or hardware mapping do not count against your licensing. If you have questions regarding the licensing model, please contact Axia support or your Axia distributor.
To view or add additional licenses, click the System heading on the navigation bar and then click the Edit Licenses link
The licensing page will display your base license information; it will also provide a list of your additional licenses
Click the New License line then type the new Request Code and License Key to add a new license
Finally, click Submit Changes to add the license to the system; license changes may require a reboot to become effective; click the Configuration link under System to find the reboot button
The Backup/Restore page presents a list of all backups in the system. If this is the first time using this page, there will probably not be any backups present in the system.
To take a new backup, or to upload a backup from your local computer back into the system, click the plus icon.
To create a new backup, type a name for the backup, select whether you want logs and/or the IP address to be included in the backup, and then click Take. Click Cancel to exit the dialog without making any changes.
The backup will include any configuration files needed to return your system to its current state.
If logs are included, the backup will also include all system and application logs currently on the system. The log information can be very useful to Axia support if they are trying to assist in troubleshooting an issue, and it is likely they will ask you to take a backup including log files and send it to them.
If you intend to restore the backup on a different Pathfinder Core PRO, you may not wish to include IP addresses so the restore process does not overwrite the IP addresses of the other unit.
Important Note: After taking a new backup it is highly recommended that you click on the link to the backup file and download it to your local computer to store it in a safe location. Backups that live on the Pathfinder Core PRO system are not true backups because if the system or storage medium were to fail, both the system and the backups could be lost. Downloading a backup to your local system will also allow you to send the backup to support if necessary.
Backups are stored in the software Bank. When you move to a new software Bank, you will not be able to directly access the backups from the previous Bank. However, if the backup is saved to your local computer, you can easily upload it back into a new Bank if desired.
To restore your configuration to a new system, a factory default system, or a system that has had the desired backup removed from the system, click Choose File.
Select a System Backup file on your local system, then click Upload. After the upload is complete, the backup will be available in the Backup/Restore list.
The minus icon will delete a backup from the system.
Since there is limited space on the storage medium it is recommended to keep only a few backups on the system at a time.
Click the Restore link next to a stored backup. The system will request confirmation that you really wish to restore the system to that state.
After confirming the operation, the system will shut down active services, restore the configuration files to the state of that backup, and reboot.
Important Note: The restore function typically happens quickly, but keep in mind that the system will not be operational during the restore and reboot process.
One of the Pathfinder Core PRO Administrator’s most important tasks is periodic firmware updates. This project is undergoing a very active development lifecycle with many new features planned for future versions. That, in addition to fixes for any bugs reported to us by our users, will make occasional updates of the firmware in your Pathfinder Core PRO system necessary.
The system has two software Banks so that if there is a need to return to an earlier version, it will live in the preceding Bank. To upgrade your system:
Take a backup of your system as explained in the Taking Backups section above; we always recommend backing up your system before making any major change just to be safe; the backup process generates its own backup as well, but it never hurts to have another copy stored on your local computer
Download the new firmware version from the Axia Audio web site to your local computer; the file name extension will be .pfc_upd which stands for Pathfinder Core PRO update package; it is also a good idea to take a moment to scan the release notes to understand the changes between the version you are currently running and the version to which you will be upgrading
Select the Upload Update link under the System heading in the navigation bar; this page will display the Bank on which you are not currently running, as the update will always load to the inactive bank
Click Browse and select the file you downloaded from the Axia web site
The File Upload bar will change to the name of the file which you have selected to upload and a status bar will appear with the Begin button; if the file is not correct for the type of system you have (for example, you attempt to install VM software to a Fanless Engine platform) a warning will appear
Click Begin to begin the updating process
A new page will appear with a progress bar that presents stages along with some additional information regarding what is taking place at that point of the update process; the update may take several minutes to complete
Important Note: It is important to understand the status of the configuration files during an upgrade process. The configuration files for the system reside within the currently executing Bank. During the upgrade process, a backup of the configuration from the currently running Bank is automatically made. After the new software is written into the new Bank, the configuration is then restored into the new Bank so that when you boot into the new Bank it has the same configuration that is in the currently executing Bank. However, if you then boot into the new Bank and make changes to the configuration in the new Bank, those changes will not reside in the old Bank. If you wish to return to the old Bank and you have made changes to the configuration, you should back up the configuration on the new Bank, boot into the old Bank, and then restore the backup. This process is outlined in the section on Backup and Restore.
Once the update is complete, you should receive a Processing Succeeded message; because you are updating the Bank which is currently active, the system should continue to run even if there was an error with the update
If you receive an error message instead of Processing Succeeded, please contact Axia support
To boot into the updated Bank and start using the new software, click the Bank Control link in the navigation bar
Bank Control displays the software versions in both Banks of the system and offers control over the currently executing software revision Bank. Click the Bank Control link under the System heading in the navigation bar to view this page.
The Bank button can be used to select which Bank will be used on the next reboot. It also displays the currently selected Bank as the next Bank that will be active at reboot.
After changing the Bank that will be used on the next reboot, a Reboot button will appear on the page.
Clicking Reboot will reboot into the newly selected Bank.
The information tables display the software version in each Bank. An asterisk will be present next to the Bank that is currently executing.
Important Note: When you select a new Bank, the system creates a temporary mark in the system to boot into that Bank. After the system boots into the new Bank, that temporary mark is turned into a normal reboot setting so the newly selected Bank will be used on subsequent reboots. This is called "cementing the Bank". If something goes wrong with the upgrade and the Bank is unusable, the Bank does not get cemented and rebooting the system either automatically or by disconnecting power will cause the system to boot into the previously working Bank. The new Bank will only get cemented for future boots if it boots successfully.
This also means that after rebooting into a new Bank you should return to the Bank control web page to make sure the boot was successful and you are executing on the desired Bank. If the boot fails, it could fail back to the previous Bank and you will only know that by double-checking this page.
Important Note: We have occasionally seen some browsers try to cache the state of this page even though we have requested that it does not do so in the web page code. If you reboot and the executing asterisk does not change, try refreshing the web page. Some browsers have an extra button you can hold down while refreshing to force the web page to refresh rather than rely on the cache; for example, with Google Chrome, hold Shift+CTRL while clicking the refresh icon.
Since configuration files reside within the executing Bank, if you are switching to a different Bank the configuration may be different. It is always recommended to take a backup of your configuration before switching Banks, and then restore that configuration on the new Bank.
If you are switching Banks immediately after upgrading the firmware, then this backup and restore have been already completed as part of the upgrade process. Otherwise, it is recommended to review the backup and restore procedures earlier in this manual. Conversely, this also means if you make a mistake in the configuration in a new Bank, you can boot back into the old Bank to get to an older and successfully working configuration, though using backups and restores is a more efficient way of doing this.
Click the Services link on the navigation bar to view the Services page.
This page will only be used in conjunction with Axia tech support, but it is worth discussing what this page represents. To make Pathfinder Core PRO as robust as possible, the system has a sophisticated watchdog process. This process monitors the state of each of the services in the system and is responsible for sending ping messages to each service to make sure they are still responsive at the application layer. If a service fails to respond within a certain period of time, the watchdog will restart the service. In a rare and catastrophic situation where the watchdog is not able to achieve proper responsiveness of a service, it might also restart all services or even reboot the system after enough subsequent failures.
This screen shows each service, when it was last started, and the most recent ping and response time. If you watch this screen you should notice the pings changing at approximately 5-second intervals.
In many ways, this page is equivalent to the Services control panel in a Windows machine.
Click on the Time link under the System heading of the navigation bar to view the Time settings. The System Time configuration page allows you to define NTP servers, set the system’s time zone, and sync the current time to that of your local PC.
Use the Current Timezone drop-down to select the correct time zone for the system.
Click Set time from PC to update Pathfinder Core PRO’s current time to that of your local PC.
Defining NTP servers in the Ntp servers list is recommended so that Pathfinder Core PRO can update its time automatically and always be as accurate as possible.
There are a number of reasons why it is important to keep Pathfinder Core PRO’s time accurate. The first is that the system has the ability to define events that happen at specific dates and times. Those events will, of course, fire at incorrect times if the system’s time is not up to date. Additionally, log files use the system’s time settings to keep track of when changes happen.
Finally, proper cluster synchronization relies on date and time settings to determine whether a specific piece of information is more up-to-date on one system or another and therefore whether synchronization of that piece of information needs to take place. Talk to your network administrator if you have questions about which NTP servers to use.
In order to send emails from Logic Flows, the server parameters must first be defined in the system in order to let Pathfinder Core PRO know which email server to use to send email messages. Under the System section of the navigation bar, click the Email Settings link.
These settings are like those used by any other email client application.
Important Note: While most servers require authentication, some provide security based on the source IP address rather than user credentials. Using a blank username and password will cause Pathfinder Core PRO to skip including any credentials in the email sends. After applying a blank password, the field will most likely show a series of stars, but this does not indicate the presence of a password. In addition to masking the characters of a password, this field also masks the length of the password for security reasons. Therefore, even a blank password will display a constant number of stars in the field after the password has been applied.
Once you have the parameters configured correctly, click Apply Changes to store them to the system. This button must be clicked before Send Test Email will use the new settings.
Use the Send Test Email button to generate a test email. The page will ask for a destination email address and will then attempt to send the message. Any errors will be reported. Once you can successfully send test emails, you are ready to create messages that may be used by Pathfinder Core PRO’s event system, Logic Flows.
Go to the Email Messages section of this manual for more details about creating email messages determine when those messages are sent.
Button
Description
Restart System
If you click the Reboot button, the system will ask for confirmation to make sure the button was not accidentally clicked, and will then reboot the system.
Factory Default System
Clicking the Factory Default button will erase all existing configuration data and return the system to the way it was shipped from the factory. Multiple confirmations are required as there is no undo option for this action. It is highly recommended that you make a backup of your system and download it to your local computer before using this option. See the section of this manual on Backup and Restore for details. Select the Erase License File checkbox if you also want to erase the licensing. It is important to note that erasing the license file will also erase the base license, and a call to Axia support will be necessary to re-license the system. Licenses are not included in the backup file.
Hostname
Displays the current hostname of the Pathfinder Core PRO. Click Edit to assign a new hostname to the system. Hostname changes require a restart to take effect.
Advanced Options
This section is for use in consultation with Axia support only as it provides methods for changing certain system variable and functionality.
Logout
Logs the current user out of the system and requests new login credentials.
License Type
Points
Notes
1
Pathfinder Core PRO VM
1000
The equivalent functionality to the hardware license
2
Pathfinder Core PRO VML
300
A lower license count and a correspondingly lower cost of entry
3
Pathfinder Core PRO VM Backup
0
Ideal for situations when adding a VM-based cluster node to a Pathfinder Core PRO cluster. This license will only work if clustered with another hardware or VM instance of Pathfinder Core PRO. In the case of a failure of the primary licensed Pathfinder Core PRO, the backup will continue to function as if it was the primary for up to 90 days while you repair the primary instance. If this 90-day limitation is not acceptable, normal full licenses may cluster as well without that restriction.
Field
Notes
Mail Server
Type the name of your mail server.
Port
Type the port number required by your mail server. Ports 25 and 587 are commonly used by SMTP mail servers. Check with your administrator or your hosting service provider to determine the correct Port setting.
Send User Name
Type the user name associated with your account on your mail server. See note below.
Send Password
Type the password associated with your account on your mail server. See Important Note below.
Send From Address
Type the email address that will be included in the outgoing message’s Send From field.
Ignore Certificate Errors
If you are using SSL encryption and the SSL/TLS certificate chain provided by the host is not in Pathfinder Core PRO’s trusted list, the message will not be sent and an error will be generated. Checking this option allows the system to use SSL encryption but ignore the SSL certificate error.
Use SSL/TSL
Check this option to use SSL encryption.
Critical Event Email Address
Type the email address of the administrator who should receive all emails generated by critical events such as a system restart or a service failure.
