Redundent System

[Pochflyboy]

Hello all,

Let me say first that I have successfully set up a system which allows SCS to control audio, video, DMXlighting, and pyrotechnics. This is truly spectacular. It makes a simple PC turn into a lighting controller, media server, and time syned pyrotechnics controller. Truly amazing piece of software.

With that all being said I am looking for the best way to sync two identical computers running the same SCS file to make it so I can instantly switch to the second computer should the first go down. This redundant will make it easier to ensure my show continues with little interruption.

A couple of keys.
1) I use a BCF2000 to control both the SCS and DMX lighting software
2) the DMX software links to the hardware controller via a USB switch.


My idea is to use simple MIDI merging and splitters to run to the BCF2000 and Pyrotechnics system.
Use a USB switch for the USB switching of the DMX controller
Use the sound board to switch the audio input
Use a VGA switcher to switch video.

What do you all think?

[newlifedrama]

I am hoping to do similar, but just for audio. I probably will be using laptops with a redundant USB sound box, so I just need to switch some audio cables and continue, probably 5-10 secs maximum. To keep the computers in sync I was planning on usng the TELNET control in SCS, you can have one computer be a master and the other a slave. This would probably mean having each cue send a TELNET command which is a pain. This sounds like a great idea for an new feature, to auto-send some TELNET commands to a slave computer that is being used as a redundant system.

A simpler way would be to have the same keyboard (I plan on using a small numeric USB keypad) drive both computers - is there such a thing as a USB splitter (the opposite of a hub)?

[Pochflyboy]

I will be using MIDI to control both computers so the sharing of a keyboard and mouse is not a terrible issue for me as the midi will drive both. However, I like the telnet idea. How exactly do you set up a telnet cue and can I do that in addition to using a MIDI device in SCS?

As far as I know there is NO such thing as a USB "splitter". I don't think it would work because the way Windows addresses items, only one computer can reach the item at a time.

One thing I didn't think of until last night was using a KVM switch that also switches audio. This will have two USB switches on it so I can switch from computer to computer and have it switch the VGA video, the audio, the DMX USB controller. Then I just have to figure out a switch for MIDI and its done. Two button presses and I am on the backup system! Easy as pie

[newlifedrama]

In SCS help search for TELNET, read the Control Send and Telnet Control sections. Unfortunately using this requires entering a new control send cue for every existing cue.

How do you use the BFC2000? Do you hook it up a computer via USB and then use software to send out DMX via USB to a USB to DMX converter box?

Since SCS can be controled by MIDI, one way to control 2 computers would be via an external midi controller, then split the signal or daisy chain it to both computers. The sound boxes I use have MIDI in and out and so I can have a midi controller (for the GO button) send midi to each sound box which will then send it to SCS running on each computer. This will work if I can daisy chain all the midi devices, as I use midi control sends from SCS to select presets on my Behringer mixer. Of course that means a failure in the MIDI chain can mess things up.

[newlifedrama]

I did some research on the internet ... and found these 2 programs for controlling two computers from one keyboard and mouse (without any switches).

http://synergy-foss.org/
http://www.inputdirector.com/index.html#about

the second program, Input Director explicity says you can sync the 2 computers, the first I'm not so sure about - it seems to be designed for adjacent screens, not sending the same input to both computers. Input Director says this it can do this
•Mirror input - Broadcast mouse gestures and/or keyboard input to all computers simultaneously
but I haven't tried it yet. Both programs are very inexpensive (free or a small donation).

I'll try this out soon. If the master computer fails, you can simply take input control from the redundant computer, which should be at the same cue if they are kept in sync. I use laptops, so I have 2 screens already, you can use a KVM switch to swap all the video,usb, etc output.

I'll make a specific request to Mike in the other forum to have a "mirror" mode in SCS where the slave machine will follow the cues being sent to the first computer, so you can run a redundant computer without any other software or hardware.

[Willarki]

Pyros should not be controlled by a system that doesn't provide feedback eg visual identification that the device is armed. DMX is unsuitable for that very reason, but will probably be OK in the future when there are RDM enabled pyro controllers. SCS was designed for sending out control signals, not receiving verification back from a controlled device as to it's status.

[Pochflyboy]

I will do a bit more on the Telnet research. For now I am planning to do as you mentioned and split the MIDI signal. That or I will telnet the two computers and then use a SWITCH to switch MIDI this way all of my control input devices and output devices will only control/be controlled by a single computer at a time.

As far as my BCF2000 it receives MIDI messages from SCS via my sound cards MIDI Output and merges this with any input from my device. Then sends all of this back into the computer through the audio interface again. The signal then is distributed to multiple programs through a VIRTUAL MIDI device which allows my DMX software and SCS to each receive inputs from the BCF2000 on a single MIDI input. The DMX software I am using now is DasLight which I can send MIDI messages to control fade, trigger scenes, and effects. The second MIDI output goes to the pyrotechnics controller so I can manually fire using the BCF2000 or preprogram a MIDI file to conduct the firing.

I would be highly interested in a program to that can control both systems in PERFECT sync so that they would both be able to be worked through one keyboard and mouse. Let me know what you find.

I agree that it would be great if Mike adds system redundancy built in. This is something that is critical of professional level show control. Great stuff Thanks!

[Mike Daniell]

See my reply under the Feature Request Redundant systems.

[newlifedrama]

See my posts under Feature Request : Redundant systems.
http://www.showcuesystems.com/forum/vie ... f=2&t=1730

I tried Input Director and it works fine, and I put the pricing info over there ($40 for 2 systems)