Computers

Computers The ELO network connects a large number of computers, all with a special name and purpose. This page should help student producers understand what each of the computers is used for.

Workstations • Instructor PCs • Encoders • Frame-Grabbers

=Workstations=

**Howe**
Along the wall of the backroom in the **Control Room/Student Production** section are **five workstation computers**. From left to right they are **Cortland, Washington, Gala, Honeycrisp and Granny Smith.** All of these computers run Macintosh and are primarily used to edit videos which are transferred via **Superflex** to the **Encoder Files** folder, (headphones are located hanging on the back of each computer) and export videos from our network to **Firma** the folder which directly uploads to **Blackboard**. If these folders (Encoder Files or Firma) do not show up in the desktop it means they are not connected at the time. For Firma: go to **Go -> Connect to Server -> afp://ecos1.engineering.iastate.edu/firma/.//** //For Encoder Files go to **Go -> Connect to Server -> afp:**//**woojo-desktop01.las.iastate.edu.** If asked for a password use: **3nC0)3r.**

These computers are also used to remotely control/access the instructor PC's by using the desktop icon called **VNC Shortcuts** and entering the correct password which are detailed in **Usernames-Passwords** page**.** These computers are able to serve as PC's as well as MAC's, just slide two fingers across the mouse and the screens should change. **Gala** can be used to run the **Network Camera Recorder** software, which can remotely control cameras in rooms other than Howe 1324 and Howe 1344. Workstations are also used for miscellaneous tasks whenever necessary.
 * Atlas**, **Zeus**, **and Hades** are located in the **Production Management** section in a cubicle next to the west door (which is not commonly used but can be accessed with your card and is close to where we keep the timesheets).**Atlas and Zeus** are PC's equipped with **Camtasia and Snapz Pro X** which are used to edit, batch and or record the screen and make a video out of what is showing. They are also used to remotely control other PCs and run the **Network Camera Recorder** software, which can remotely control cameras in rooms other than Howe 1324 and Howe 1344. Workstations are also used for miscellaneous tasks whenever necessary.


 * Hyperion and Helios** located in **Control Room Management** section (the small office next to Howe 1344 - ISU5) run Macintosh and are primarily used to upload videos from our network to Blackboard. **Screen Sharing** is also used on **Hyperion and Helios** to remotely control other Apple computers and the scanner is connected to **Helios**.

The **two frame-grabber PCs** at the encoder stations for Howe 1324 and Howe 1344 are connected to switchers, which can change which computer the monitor shows. Input 1 is the frame-grabber, but input 3 on each of the frame-grabbers switches you to yet another workstation. These are not as frequently used, but are there for a rainy day and can sometimes be useful while recording.

Marston
In between Marston 204 and 205 there is a room that can be accessed with a key that has a tag (**Marston Control Room**). There are **four workstation MAC computers** which are used to monitor and control the Marston lectures by accessing the instructor PC and encoders for each room. These are accessed in the same way they are accessed from the Howe Control Room.

=Instructor PCs=

Instructor PCs are exactly what they sound like: the computers that the instructors use. All of the instructor PCs are Wacom tablets and feature the magic of touchscreen technology. As a student producer, it is important to always be sure **Desktop Presenter** is running in the background on instructor PCs while recording. **Adobe Connect and Panopto (if needed)** should be setup properly and likewise running in the background. If an instructor PC is too far away, student producers can access it remotely via **TightVNC**.

=Encoders=

In addition to instructor PCs, each classroom also has its own encoder. The sole purpose of encoders is to serve as the primary recording device for recording classes with **Wirecast**. Some of these computers are located in the classroom and others in the control room. The Howe 1324 (ISU2) and Howe 1344 (ISU5) encoders are located at the large encoder stations in the control room. The Howe 1242 (ISU1) encoder is set up inside the room at its own station. The encoders for Marston 204 and Marston 205 are located in the rooms as well, but are typically accessed via **TightVNC** from the backroom (View Marston 204/205 Setup for instructions on access to encoder). The Carver 268 encoder is also controlled through VNC. The laptops from the backroom serve as encoders for all tablet classes.

=Frame-Grabbers=

Howe 1324 and 1344 have backup computers called frame-grabbers. They run **Wirecast** in adjacent to the encoder computers in case there is a problem. Frame-grabbers also run **Adobe Connect** as an additional recording.