A very convincing archiving system for Bel RTL

Bel RTL belongs to the clients who have progressively become some of Netia`s privileged partners. The work of listening and reflection by the teams of Bel RTL and NETIA has materialized with the evolution of the Radio-Assist 7 range: Air-DDO, the broadcasting software, is one of the best broadcasting interfaces of the market. The high-performance archiving and securing solutions of Radio-Assist 7 respond to the evolution of some important systems.

Automatic Archiving :

Based around a Sony Petasite, the system is interfaced with the administrator of the DIVA archive. For a better guarantee of its operation, the archiving process follows two software stages: the service of Media Management and the Netia's Archiving service. With a simple click, the user allocates the RTA (Ready-to-Archive) label to a sound, the Media Management automaton makes the document accessible to the administrator of the DIVA archive. The archiving of an element provokes the archiving of an audio file or a XML (eXtensible Markup Language) file containing all the information of this document. This double archiving provides great usage flexibility at the level of databases, particularly during researching or restoration.

NETIA's Media Management Automaton :

Media Management handles the entire flow of data (metadata and sound data) within a digital audio or video system.It is designed to monitor and transfer data automatically from one domain to another and to ensure that the domains remain fully independent. For instance, when an item is marked as RTB (Ready-to-Broadcast), the audio file is automatically copied on the broadcast server. Likewise, when an item is marked as RTA (Ready-to-Archive), it is automatically copied on the archive server. Media Management operation is fully transparent and ensures the user has access to the requisite file wherever it is located on the system.

The automatic Media Management device makes it easier to create specific domains for each activity (Production, Broadcast, Archiving, etc.). Each domain has its own structure: servers, database, etc. This separation of activities generates independent subsystems and guarantees greater security.

The restoration demand of a sound in a domain can be manual or automatic :

• Manual restoration demand: when a user desires the restoration of a sound, it suffices to double-click on the database of archived sounds. The reverse process takes place: Diva makes the sound in question accessible, Media Management transfers it to the fitting server. Once the sound is available, all the system's stations are informed.

• Automated restoration demand: Radio Assist's FileWatch is a software which carries the role of attending to the presence of necessary sounds in the broadcast. It regularly examines the programming of the antenna playlists and automatically sends a restoration order as soon as a scheduled sound is absent from the server.

NETIA's DBShare Automaton :

DBShare is an automatic device which centralises all communications with the Radio-Assist 7 database. By systematic and synchronous redundancy of all the metadata produced by the system, DBShare ensures the consistency of database contents. All databases are automatically synchronised. When an incident occurs on one database, DBShare automatically switches over to another one and archives all the queries made during and after the incident. The switch is completely transparent for all client workstations. When conditions return to normal, the memorised queries are automatically executed and the database fully restored. Both databases are resynchronised and no datum is lost.

The Concept of Maximum Security :

The securing kit chosen by Bel RTL is composed of two, complementary software items DBShare and Media Management implanted at the level of the servers. The role of DBShare is to assure the non-stop functioning of the system, particularly in a degraded mode. Media Management is responsible for the permanent availability of conscripted files. The combination of DBShare and Media Management brings a maximum security solution with the appearance of autonomous and individually secured subsystems (or domains). For Bel TRL, the placement of this very open structure also represents a step forward, towards the future.