This article describes the configuration procedure for running the DC Media Network Manager application on a separate PC to the one with the Scheduler installed. This configuration can be used for environments where multiple users have Scheduler or Network Manager installed on their desktops.
Requirements
By default DC Media uses an internal database located on the same computer as the software applications whereas a shared DC Media environment requires a connection to Microsoft SQL Server version 2000, 2005, 2008 or 2012.
Configuration
Ensure that every PC that will have DC Media installed has a working ODBC connection to the SQL Server. Also ensure that you have created a database that will be used to store the DC Media tables (The Scheduler application will create the tables when it successfully connects to the database).
Steps to create an ODBC DSN
The following steps will show you how to create an ODBC DSN that connects to a SQL Server. The steps for connecting to a MS Access database are similar.
Important note: If you are using Windows on a 64 bit system, you will need to run the 32 bit version of the ODBC Administrator, to do this click on the Windows Start menu, select run and then type in: c:\windows\SysWOW64\odbcad32.exe. For more information consult this Microsoft Knowledge base article.
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Open the Windows Control Panel, locate and double click on Administrative Tools
- Double click on the Data Sources (ODBC) icon
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With the User DSN tab selected, click on the Add button
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Scroll down the driver list and select SQL Server (or SQL Native Client if you are connecting to SQL Server 2005/2008)
- Click on Finish
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Enter a name for the new DSN, e.g. dcmedia
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Select the server that is hosting the SQL Server from the drop list, or enter the server computer name
- Click Next
- Ensure that Connect to SQL Server to obtain default ... is checked and click Next
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Ensure that Change the default database to is checked and select the database that you want to use from the list of existing databases
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Click Next
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Click Finish
Your new DSN is ready for use. Follow these steps to display a database table in a digital sign:
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In the Digital Sign Creator, insert a new table object. Double click on the table to edit the table properties, click on Table and then click on Properties
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Set the source type to SQL Database
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Enter the DSN name in the DSN/Connection String field
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Enter a query in the SQL Query field
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Under the Columns list, click Add...
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Enter a column heading, width and the database field that will be displayed in the column
- Be sure to set the refresh timer according to your requirements to prevent unnecessary traffic with repeat database connections.
Configuring DC Media
Run the DC Media Scheduler application and select the File... Configuration... Database menu option. Change the Database Engine from DC Media to ODBC and enter the name of your ODBC DSN in the Dataset Name field. Enter the database username and password below in the fields provided and click OK. Close the Scheduler and then launch it again.
The Scheduler will create the necessary database tables for both the Scheduler and the Network Manager applications. From this point on you can repeat this configuration process of any PC that will have a DC Media application installed, this will ensure that all users see and manage the same data.
