6. Performing Actions on a Workstation via the Recorder

You can remotely perform actions on a workstation such as changing configuration settings, performing a software upgrade, or restarting the workstation’s screen recording. The sub-sections below provide details on how to accomplish each of these by logging into the Configuration Manager and accessing a workstation’s corresponding screen channel.

6.1. Accessing and Configuring Screen Channels via the Recorder

  1. Screen channels can be found in the Configuration Manager by going to the Recording Interfaces page. Click on the ‘+’ icon next to the Screen Agent DX Interface to expand the interface and display its associated screen channels (as seen in Figure 6.1). Click on the gear icon to access the client’s ‘EDIT CHANNEL’ tab.

Configuration Manager: |SA| Interface with Channels

Fig. 6.1 Configuration Manager: Screen Agent DX Interface with Channels

  1. In the ‘EDIT CHANNEL’ tab (as seen in Figure 6.2), you can view current configurations and also change their settings.

Configuration Manager: Edit Channel Tab

Fig. 6.2 Configuration Manager: Edit Channel Tab

Below is an explanation for each field that is displayed in the ‘EDIT CHANNEL’ tab:

  • Channel Name: This is the channel name on the recorder for the Screen Agent DX workstation. You will be able to search for recordings from the workstation using this channel name in MediaWorks DX. This can be set when first configuring a workstation for recording, and subsequently edited on this page if needed.

  • Call Detect Mode This setting determines the way in which a workstation records. Below are more details on each specific setting:

    • OFF: The channel will not record at all unless changed to another detect mode

    • ON: The channel will always record so long as the client is active (i.e. when powered on, logged in, not asleep, and unlocked)

    • Screen Activity: The channel will only record based on mouse or keyboard activity

    • Script: The channel will record based on a configured schedule

Note

For more details on each detect type, please refer to appendix Section D: Different States of a Screen Agent Channel.

  • Audio Storage Encoding: This not relevant for screen channels and will always be set to VNC.

  • Default Call Type: This field indicates what type of call types are associated with the channel. For screen recording channels, the value will be “SCREEN”.

  • Screen Activity Timeout(secs): This only appears if you select ‘SCREEN ACTIVITY’ as your Recording Mode. The value provided for this field corresponds to how long recording will take place after the last keyboard or mouse activity on the client.

  • Screen Agent Address: This is the IP address of the workstation associated with the channel

  • Screen Agent Version: This is the build version of the Screen Agent software being used on the workstation. As seen in Figure 6.2, there is an Upgrade button associated with this field. This button allows you to remotely upgrade to a newer version of the Screen Agent DX software. For more details on this, refer to sub-section Section 6.2: Upgrading a Client.

  • Restart Service: This field has a ‘Restart’ button associated with it which allows you to remotely restart screen recording on a workstation. For more details on this, refer to Section 6.3: Restarting Screen Agent DX for a client.

  • Claimed for Screen Agent: This field has a checkbox to indicate whether the channel is claimed. If it is claimed, then it is reserved exclusively for screen recording a specific workstation. If already checked, you can uncheck the box to free it up for another workstation to claim it (discussed in sub-section Section 4.2.1: Setting up a Workstation for the First Time) or so that it can be reclaimed (discussed in sub-section Section 4.2.2: Replacing a Workstation by Reclaiming).

  • Remove Wallpaper: This provides a checkbox so that you can choose whether the workstation’s wallpaper is removed when screen recording starts. If checked, the workstation’s background will change to completely black. By default it is checked.

  • Use Recorder Time: This sets the call and event timestamps based on the recorder time instead of the client time.

  • Bits Per Pixel: This is the color depth setting of the recordings. By default it is 16 bits, but you can choose a lower value of 8 bits or a higher value of 32 bits. A higher value for this field would result in higher recording quality but also higher data consumption. So depending on the amount of storage on your recorder, you may want to adjust this value.

  • Frames Per Second: This is used to manage how many frames of the client recording are sent to the recorder per second. A higher value for this field would result in higher recording quality but also higher data consumption. So, depending on the amount of storage on your recorder, you may want to adjust this value. The default is set to 10 frames per second.

  • Keyframe Period(secs): This is used to manage how often a keyframe (in seconds) is sent to the recorder. A lower value for this field would result in better recording quality but also higher data consumption. Depending on the amount of storage on your recorder, you may want to adjust this value. The default is set to 30.

  • Max Recording Duration(secs): This field is used to set how long (in seconds) each individual record on a channel will last before a call break.

  • Activity Timeout(secs): When set, alert #3001 (“Channel was active for more than X seconds”) is issued if a channel is continuously active for longer than the timeout value. The factory default is to disable this function. This setting does not affect the actual recording of the call. It simply issues an alert.

  • Inactivity Timeout(secs): When set, alert #3002 (“Channel was inactive for more than X seconds”) is issued if there is no activity on the channel for longer than the timeout value. The factory default is to disable this function. This setting does not affect the actual recording of the call. It simply issues an alert.

  • Metadata Missing Alert(count): This is an advanced field setting for metadata integration. It is rarely used for screen recordings.

  • Metadata Cache: This is an advanced field setting for metadata integration. It is rarely used for screen recordings.

  • Config Text: This field does not apply to screen recordings.

Note

If a Windows 10 Machine has a screensaver enabled along with a screen lock, Screen Agent DX will continue to record screensaver while locked. To avoid this, disable the screensaver in your computer settings.

6.2. Upgrading a Client

If Eventide introduces a new software version of Screen Agent DX, it will be included in the next version of the NexLog DX-series Recorder software, and it will be possible to “push” this upgrade from the recorder to any configured workstation.

You can perform an upgrade in the following way:

  1. Go to the ‘EDIT CHANNEL’ page of the specific client that you are trying to upgrade. Refer to section Section 6.1: Accessing and Configuring Screen Channels via the Recorder for how this can be done.

  2. When you reach the ‘EDIT CHANNEL’ page, make a note of the ‘Screen Agent Version’ and then click the ‘upgrade’ button when you are ready. This will cause a call break in recording and will not take more than a few minutes before the channel resumes recording normally again.

Configuration Manager: Performing a Client Upgrade

Fig. 6.3 Configuration Manager: Performing a Client Upgrade

  1. You will then see the pop-up asking if you are sure you want to upgrade. Click ‘OK’.

Configuration Manager: Pop-up to Confirm Initiation of an Upgrade

Fig. 6.4 Configuration Manager: Pop-up to Confirm Initiation of an Upgrade

  1. There will be another pop-up. Click ‘OK’.

Configuration Manager: Pop-up Informing How to check if upgrade was successful

Fig. 6.5 Configuration Manager: Pop-up Informing How to check if upgrade was successful

  1. To check if the upgrade took place successfully, wait a few minutes and then click on the Recording Interfaces menu page option. This will cause a reload of the page. Now go back to the ‘EDIT CHANNEL’ page and check whether the number corresponding to the ‘Screen Agent Version’ field (as seen in Figure 6.3) has increased.

Note

Nothing will happen if you are attempting an upgrade to an older version or the same version of the client software.

6.3. Restarting Screen Agent DX for a client

The Configuration Manager also provides the option to remotely restart recording on a workstation.

You can restart the Screen Agent DX software on a client by performing the following steps:

  1. Go to the ‘EDIT CHANNEL’ tab of the specific client whose Screen Agent software you want to restart. Refer to section Section 6.1: Accessing and Configuring Screen Channels via the Recorder for how this can be done.

  2. In the ‘EDIT CHANNEL’ tab, you will see a ‘restart’ button. Clicking on it will cause a call break in recording and will not take more than a few minutes before the channel is back to recording normally.

Performing a Client Restart

Fig. 6.6 Performing a Client Restart

  1. You will then see a pop-up asking if you are sure you want to restart. Click ‘OK’.

Pop-up for Confirmation of a Restart

Fig. 6.7 Pop-up for Confirmation of a Restart

  1. There will be another pop-up to indicate that the restart has been started. Click ‘OK’.

Pop-up to Indicate the Initiation of a Restart

Fig. 6.8 Pop-up to Indicate the Initiation of a Restart