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Vivi Central provides functionality to make it easy to manage all of the Vivi Boxes in your organisation. This includes:

  • Viewing the status and high-level configuration of all Boxes.
  • Quick links to open the Web Console for individual Boxes.
  • Bulk firmware updates, configuration updates and restarts.

Using the Fleet Management Interface

There are two screens which give an overview of Boxes in your organisation.

The "Devices" screen and the "Configure Devices" screen.

Devices Screen

The Devices screen gives a quick snapshot of all of the Boxes in all of the organisations that you manage. To open the screen, select the "Devices" link in Vivi Central.

The information includes:

  • MAC Address – This is the unique identifier of the Box. Clicking on the MAC address of a Box will open the Box overview screen a Box display name, room and Web Console password can be updated.
  • Organisation – The organisation that the Box belongs to.
  • Room – Shows which room the Box is assigned to.
  • Heartbeat – A green heart rhythm icon indicates that the Box has responded recently.
  • Version – Shows the firmware version of the Box. If the firmware version is out of date, an orange warning icon will show that an updated firmware version is available.


Devices screen

Configure Devices Screen

To open the "Configure Devices" screen, under the "Devices" link in Vivi Central, select the "Configure Devices" link and then select your organisation name.

The "Configure Devices" screen gives a quick snapshot of all of the Boxes in all of the organisations that you manage.

The information includes:

  • MAC Address – This is the unique identifier of the Box. Clicking on the MAC address of a Box will open the Box overview screen a Box display name, room and Web Console password can be updated.
  • Room – Shows which room the Box is assigned to.
  • Location – The location that the Box belongs in.
  • IP Address – The IP address of the Box. Clicking on the IP address will open the Web Console on the Box.
  • Current Version – Shows the firmware version of the Box. If the firmware version is out of date, an orange warning image will show that an updated firmware version is available.
  • Status – The status of the Box.
  • Update Progress – During a bulk firmware update, the upgrade status of each Box is shown in this column.

The "Configure Devices" screen is the main starting window for managing your fleet of Vivi Boxes.

At the top of the screen, there is an option to "Update Firmware" and another button (labelled "…") which loads the bulk configuration menu. These buttons are not activated until at least one Box is selected.

This screen also allows you to select the Boxes to update, restart or configure. The list can be filtered by location by using the drop-down box at the top of the screen. There is also the option to select all Boxes, or to make your own selection of Boxes.


The Configure Devices screen

Modifying Box Details

The room, display name and Web Console password can be modified via Vivi Central in the Box overview screen.

To load the details for an individual Box:

  • Click on the "Devices" link in Vivi Central.
  • Click on the MAC Address of the Box to view. This will show the Box overview screen.


Box overview screen


To update the display name or room allocation:

  • Click the "Details" link in the menu at the top of the screen.
  • Click "Edit".
  • Update the "Room" or "Display Name" as required. Once a display name is set, it will be shown on the screen instead of the MAC address.
  • Click "Save Changes".

To update the Web Console password:

  • Click the "Technical" link in the menu at the top of the screen.
  • Click "Edit".
  • Set a "Web Console Password" and click "Save Changes".

Firmware Updates

The Vivi team is committed to regular firmware updates, both from a maintenance and new feature perspective. Vivi is a cross-platform solution, and updates are necessary to continue to support newly released operating systems. The most common example is iOS; when the latest version of iOS is released, a small firmware update may be required to ensure ongoing support for Apple devices.

Vivi Central allows you to update all or some of your Boxes at the same time.

To update the time settings:

  • Under the "Devices" link in Vivi Central, select the "Configure Devices" link.
  • Select your organisation name.
  • Select the Boxes to be updated.
  • Click on "Update Firmware". The "Update Firmware" screen will be loaded.


The Update Firmware screen


  • The "Update Firmware" screen will show how many Boxes will be updated, and it will provide a link to download the latest firmware file.
  • Click the link to download the file. The file will be a "tar" archive with a name like "update.2.3.3.tar.
  • Click on "Choose a file" and select the file that was just downloaded. It will most likely be in your web browser's "downloads" folder. Alternatively, you can drag and drop the file onot the screen.
  • Finally, click "Update" and confirm that the firmware is to be updated.
  • An orange status message will be shown. Please do not navigate away from this page until the update is finished.


Firmware update in progress

Bulk Configuration

To make it easier to manage a fleet of Vivi Boxes, there are a number of configuration and admin tasks that can be managed in bulk.

These tasks can be started using the bulk configuration menu. To find the menu:

  • Under the "Devices" link in Vivi Central, select the "Configure Devices" link.
  • Select your organisation name.
  • Select the Boxes to be updated.
  • Click on the "…" button in the top right-hand corner of the screen. The following menu will be shown:


Bulk update menu


For a description of each type of update that is available, refer to the information in the rest of this chapter.

Important notes about the bulk configuration utility

Important note: When carrying out a bulk update, the dialog boxes will show some default settings.

These are not live settings from your Boxes.

The dialog windows to change Box settings always has the same default values, and it is up to you to set them correctly.

Changing settings here can cause a Box to stop working, if misconfigured.

Most changes will require a restart, which will disrupt anyone currently using the Box. It is recommended that changes are tested on one Box first, and that changes are applied when Boxes are not being used.

How Restarts Are Handled

All of the setting updates require either restart of some sort for the changes to take effect.

Changing the network port speed and USB audio settings both require a Hard Restart.

For all other configuration changes, a Soft Restart is required. When the settings are changed, the Boxes will automatically detect the change and will immediately perform a Soft Restart to apply the change.

Time Settings

The Vivi Box time settings can be changed between TLS and NTP, and the NTP servers can be updated in bulk if the organisation NTP Servers change.

This allows you to switch between TLS and NTP and quickly update NTP servers if your NTP Server changes.

For more information about different time setting options, refer to the Box Configuration Time Settings Section.

To update the time settings:

  • Under the "Devices" link in Vivi Central, select the "Configure Devices" link.
  • Select your organisation name.
  • Select the Boxes to be updated.
  • Click on the "…" button in the top right-hand corner of the screen and select "Update Time Settings".
  • Set the "Time Mode". If "NTP" authentication is selected, add the hostname or IP address of at least one-time server.
  • Click "Apply" and then confirm that the change is to be made.

The selected Boxes will automatically detect the change and will immediately perform a Soft Restart to apply the change.

Network Settings

Out of all of the Vivi Box network settings, only the network port speed can be updated in bulk.

A number of other network settings can be changed via the Web Console.

The two options of port speed are either "Auto 100/Full" (default) and "Auto 1000/Full".

If the port speed is changed, a Hard Restart is required for the change to take effect.

Warning! Setting the port speed to "Auto 1000/Full" will cause severe stuttering unless the network switch supports flow control/pause frames.

To update the network port speed:

  • Under the "Devices" link in Vivi Central, select the "Configure Devices" link.
  • Select your organisation name.
  • Select the Boxes to be updated.
  • Click on the "…" button in the top right-hand corner of the screen and select "Update Network Settings".
  • Set the port speed to the required setting, and click "Apply".
  • Confirm that the change is to be made.
  • A Hard Restart is required to apply the changes. Note that the selected Boxes will be unavailable for around 1 minute when the restart occurs. You can also schedule a restart. To restart the selected Boxes immediately, click on the "…" button in the top right-hand corner of the screen and select "Restart".
  • Change the "Restart Type" to "Hard Restart" and click "Restart".
  • Click "Ok" to confirm the restart.

Proxy Settings

In organisations that require a proxy to connect to the Internet, the settings can be bulk updated.

A typical scenario is an update to the web proxy password.

These settings are explained further in the Box Configuration Proxy Settings section.

To update the proxy settings:

  • Under the "Devices" link in Vivi Central, select the "Configure Devices" link.
  • Select your organisation name.
  • Select the Boxes to be updated.
  • Click on the "…" button in the top right-hand corner of the screen and select "Update Proxy Settings".
  • Set the authentication type. If "Basic" or "NTLM" authentication is selected, add the hostname, port number, username and password.
  • Click "Apply" and then confirm that the change is to be made.

The selected Boxes will automatically detect the change and will immediately perform a Soft Restart to apply the change.

Audio Settings

The audio output from the Vivi Box can be redirected to a USB audio device.

Connected USB devices are only checked when the Box first boots up, so a Hard Restart of the Box is required.

To update the audio settings:

  • Under the "Devices" link in Vivi Central, select the "Configure Devices" link.
  • Select your organisation name.
  • Select the Boxes to be updated.
  • Click on the "…" button in the top right-hand corner of the screen and select "Update Audio Settings".
  • Set the "Enable USB Audio" setting and click "Apply"
  • Confirm that the change is to be made.
  • A Hard Restart is required to apply the changes. Note that the selected Boxes will be unavailable for around 1 minute when the restart occurs.To restart the selected Boxes immediately, click on the "…" button in the top right-hand corner of the screen and select "Restart".
  • Change the "Restart Type" to "Hard Restart" and click "Restart".
  • Click "Ok" to confirm the restart.

Web Console Password

Vivi publishes the default Web Console administrator password in a publicly available document. As a result, it is strongly recommended that administrators to change the Web Console password for their Boxes.

This password change applies to all of your Vivi Boxes at the same time.

To update the Web Console password:

  • Under the "Devices" link in Vivi Central, select the "Configure Devices" link.
  • Select your organisation name.
  • Select the Boxes to be updated.
  • Click on the "…" button in the top right-hand corner of the screen and select "Update Web Console Password".
  • Enter the new password and click "Apply". You will not be asked to re-enter the password, so please type the password carefully.
  • Click "Apply" and then confirm that the change is to be made.

The Web Console password on the selected Boxes will be updated immediately.

SSL Certificates

Some environments require an SSL certificate for devices on the network to access the Internet.

In most cases, the SSL certificate required is the same certificate used to enable user laptops and other devices to connect to the Internet.

For a detailed discussion around SSL certificates and the types of certificates that can be used, refer to the Box Configuration SSL Settings Section.

Occasionally, SSL certificates need to be changed.

To update the SSL certificates on Boxes in bulk:

  • Under the "Devices" link in Vivi Central, select the "Configure Devices" link.
  • Select your organisation name.
  • Select the Boxes to be updated.
  • Click on the "…" button in the top right-hand corner of the screen and select "Update SSL Certificates".
  • Drag and drop the certificate file into the window, or browse to "Choose a File".
  • Click "Upload" to upload the file.
  • Confirm that the change is to be made.

The selected Boxes will automatically detect the change and will immediately perform a Soft Restart to apply the change.

Send Logs

The Vivi Box logs events such as disconnections and errors. These log files are automatically sent to the Vivi log file server daily.

In some cases, typically when support is required, you may be asked submit the logs immediately for analysis.

To submit the logs in bulk:

  • Under the "Devices" link in Vivi Central, select the "Configure Devices" link.
  • Select your organisation name.
  • Select the Boxes to be updated.
  • Click on the "…" button in the top right-hand corner of the screen and select "Send Logs".
  • Click "Send Logs" and then confirm that the logs are to be sent.

The logs will be submitted to Vivi Support.

Restarting

Restarts are commonly used commands. Vivi Boxes can be restarted in bulk.
The restarts behave in the same way as they do when you connect to the Web Console, namely:
Soft Restart – With a Soft Restart, the Vivi software is restarted and it synchronises with any new settings available in Vivi Central.
Hard Restart – This is the equivalent of physically restarting the Box.
Please Note: Vivi recommend trying a "Soft Restart" over a "Hard Restart" in the first instance as it means the Box does not go offline. It will however disconnect any active users.

Soft Restart

To perform a bulk Soft Restart:

  • Under the "Devices" link in Vivi Central, select the "Configure Devices" link.
  • Select your organisation name.
  • Select the Boxes to be updated.
  • Click on the "…" button in the top right-hand corner of the screen and select "Restart".
  • Change the "Restart Type" to "Soft Restart" and click "Restart".
  • Click "Ok" to confirm the restart.

The selected Boxes will immediately perform a Soft Restart.

Hard Restart

To perform a bulk Hard Restart:

  • Under the "Devices" link in Vivi Central, select the "Configure Devices" link.
  • Select your organisation name.
  • Select the Boxes to be updated.
  • Click on the "…" button in the top right-hand corner of the screen and select "Restart".
  • Change the "Restart Type" to "Hard Restart" and click "Restart".
  • Click "Ok" to confirm the restart.

The selected Boxes will immediately perform a Hard Restart.

Please note: The selected Boxes will be unavailable for around 1 minute when the restart occurs.

Scheduled Restarts

A scheduled restart can be set up to perform either a soft or Hard Restart of all your Vivi Boxes at a scheduled time.

Scheduled restarts are configured within the organisation settings.

Please note: All scheduled times are based on the time zone configured for the organisation within Vivi Central.

To view the existing setting:

  • Select the "Organisation" link in Vivi Central.
  • Select the "Scheduled Restarts" link in the menu at the top of the screen.

A list of existing scheduled restarts will be displayed.

To create a new schedule or edit an existing one:

  • Select the "Organisation" link in Vivi Central.
  • Select the "Scheduled Restarts" link in the menu at the top of the screen.
  • Click "Edit".
  • Set the schedule as follows:
    • "Disabled" – No restart will occur.
    • "Daily" – The Boxes will restart daily at a set time.
    • "Sundays" – The Boxes will restart on Sunday at a nominated time.
  • For "Daily" and "Sundays" schedules, set the restart time, and choose whether the restart will be a "Soft Restart" or a "Hard Restart".

Please note: Only one set of scheduled restart settings can be created.


Sample restart schedule

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