Frequently asked questions

Short answers to what technicians and IT staff ask most. Each answer links to the page that has the detail.

Opening SiteManager

Why does my browser say "Not secure" or "Your connection is not private"?

It depends on the mode. In local mode, the default, SiteManager serves plain HTTP at http://127.0.0.1:8790/ and only this computer can reach it, so nothing leaves the computer. In network mode it serves HTTPS with a certificate it made itself, which no certificate authority vouches for, so the browser warns. That is expected. Compare the fingerprint in the page footer with the one the installer showed (or sitemanagerd --print-fingerprint prints) before you accept it. See First start.

Which address do I open?

On the computer that runs SiteManager, open http://127.0.0.1:8790/ (or http://localhost:8790/). From another computer you need network mode, then https://<computer>:8790/. Any other host name is refused in local mode. See First start and Troubleshooting.

Which port do I have to open in the firewall?

In local mode, none: the service does not accept connections from other computers. In network mode, TCP 8790 into the SiteManager computer (or the port you chose with --listen). For the displays, the SiteManager computer connects out to TCP 8080 on each display, TCP 5502 for the touch stream, and sends a UDP broadcast on 37812 to find them. See Ports and firewall.

Not in local mode. Everyone who can use the computer is the administrator, and SiteManager records their changes as /local (shown on the Audit page as this computer (local mode)). In network mode there are logins, with two roles: administrator and viewer. See Users, roles and security.

Can two people use SiteManager at the same time?

In network mode, yes. Each person signs in with their own account, and pages update live, so one person's reboot or firmware update appears on the other person's screen. In local mode, everyone is at the same computer. A browser allows 6 connections to one address over plain HTTP, so about 5 SiteManager tabs can be open at once. See The web interface.

Does SiteManager work without internet?

Yes, almost everything. The pages, the displays, walls, Cornerstone files, profiles and diagnostics need no internet. Two things do: downloading firmware from the catalogue, and alert channels that reach outside your network (email, webhook, syslog). If the computer cannot reach the firmware servers, import a .swu file instead. See Update display firmware.

Does SiteManager send my data to MultiTaction?

No. The only MultiTaction addresses the service contacts are the firmware catalogue servers, to read the list of firmware versions and to download an image you ask for. A diagnostics bundle goes to MultiTaction only when you send it. See Ports and firewall.

How do I reset the administrator password?

In network mode, another administrator can set a new password on the Users page (Set password), and you can change your own on the Account page. This manual documents no way to recover the password of the only administrator. Local mode has no passwords at all. If you are locked out of a service in network mode, contact MultiTaction support. See Users, roles and security.

Does SiteManager change my displays when I just look at them?

No. Watching a display, opening its pages, running a drift check, probing capabilities, checking a firmware rollout and taking a diagnostics bundle only read from the display. A display changes only when you start something that says so: applying settings, rebooting, calibrating, applying a profile, updating firmware. Several of these wait on Standby until you press Go. See Monitoring and history and Standby and Go.

What do the colours mean?

On the overview, a tile with a warning has a solid orange outline and a critical one has a dashed red outline. State badges use green for online, orange for a warning and red for critical. On a Standby block, blue means the wall is idle and orange means it looks in use. See The web interface.

Why is a display "offline"?

SiteManager missed two readings in a row, so it noticed within about 35 seconds. Check the display's power and network cable, and read the error shown on its tile. A display that answers from an address that now belongs to another display reads wrong display: run Discover so SiteManager follows it to its new address. See Troubleshooting.

Why does Discover find nothing?

A broadcast reaches only the subnet the SiteManager computer is on. For displays on another subnet, sweep their address range (for example 10.254.0.0/24) or add them by IP address. Also check that UDP 37812 is not blocked. See Find and add displays.

What if a display gets a new IP address?

Nothing breaks. SiteManager identifies a display by its serial number, not its address. Run Discover and SiteManager updates the address and tells you under Changes. See Find and add displays.

Why did my settings vanish after a reboot?

Settings applied to a display stay unsaved on it until you save them, like changes made in the display's own menu. A display that reboots first loses them. The unsaved badge shows which displays have pending changes. Select Save to the displays to keep them. See Settings.

What does "drift" mean?

Drift is a difference between what a display or a file holds now and what it should hold. SiteManager checks each display that has a profile against that profile, and checks the Cornerstone files on the computer against what it would generate. It checks every 15 minutes, only reads, and raises an alert when something drifted. See Profiles and drift.

What is a job, and does it stop if I close the browser?

A job is a long operation that runs in the service: a reboot, a calibration, a firmware update, a firmware download or a profile apply. It keeps running when you close the browser, and you can find it again under Jobs. See Jobs.

Why does a job wait and ask me to press Go?

SiteManager never treats "can't tell" as "idle". Before something that disturbs the wall it checks whether anyone is touching it. If the wall looks in use, or the SiteManager computer holds no touch connection to the displays (for example when Canvus is not running or SiteManager runs elsewhere), the job pauses and asks you. See Jobs that wait and the idle-wall check.

Walls, rooms and files

What is the difference between a wall and a room?

A wall is a grid of displays driven as one window. A projector room is an installation where projectors make the picture, with surfaces, overlap bands where neighbouring projectors blend, and masks. Use a wall for displays and a room for projectors. See Walls, rooms and the Cornerstone files and Projector rooms.

Why can't I apply the files?

The Cornerstone files page says why. The usual causes are: a planned display that is not bound to a real display, an error in the list of findings on the wall page (such as two displays in one place), nothing placed on the wall, mt-canvus.ini that does not exist (SiteManager never creates it), a target that is a symbolic link, a file that changed on disk after you opened the preview, or a Cornerstone user that does not exist. See Troubleshooting and Set up a wall.

Where are my backups?

Before every apply or restore, SiteManager backs up the files it is about to replace. The Backups list at the bottom of the Cornerstone files page shows them, with who made each one and when, and Restore puts one back. They are kept in the config-backups folder of the state directory, and the 50 newest are kept. See Backups and restore.

Do I have to restart Canvus after I apply?

Yes. SiteManager never restarts Canvus or Showcase. Restart the application to load the new files. See Write the Cornerstone files.

Can I undo a change in the wall designer?

Yes. Undo steps back through the wall's changes, up to 50 steps. The history is kept in memory, so it is lost when the service restarts. Files you already applied are protected by the backups above. See Undo and redo.

What is a planned display?

A planned display holds a slot on a wall for a display that is not in the site yet. It is laid out and written into the files like a real one. Bind it to a real display when the display arrives. You cannot apply the files while a planned display is unbound. See Planned displays.

Can I bring in a wall I already set up?

Yes. Use Import files from a wall computer for an existing screen.xml, config.txt and mt-canvus.ini, or Import for a project file saved by SiteManager 2.x. Nothing is saved until you select the apply button on the preview. See Bring in an existing wall.

What happens to my SiteManager 2.x settings?

SiteManager does not touch the 2.x application or its project files. Display settings are stored on the displays, so they stay as they are. A 2.x project file can be imported to bring in the list of displays, and your 2.x command-line scripts keep working. See Moving from SiteManager 2.x.

Firmware

Why won't SiteManager update a display?

The check on the rollout page says why, before anything is sent. The usual causes are: the image is not newer than the display's firmware (tick Allow downgrade or reinstall if you meant it), the display is offline, the image is for another model, or the display's firmware checks signatures and the image is not signed by MultiTaction. See Update display firmware.

What do "Signed by MultiTaction", "Unsigned" and "Signed by another CA (refused)" mean?

They are the signature labels on a cached firmware image. Displays whose firmware checks signatures take only an image signed by MultiTaction. Other displays still take unsigned images. SiteManager refuses to send an unsigned or foreign-signed image to a display that checks signatures, and no option lifts that. See Update display firmware.

Why was my firmware image refused?

Because the display installs only firmware signed by MultiTaction, and the image is not. SiteManager checks every image it keeps and labels it Signed by MultiTaction, Unsigned or Signed by another CA (refused). For a display whose firmware checks signatures, it refuses an unsigned image or one signed by another authority before it sends anything, and no option lifts that. Download the image from the firmware catalogue, or ask MultiTaction support for a copy signed by MultiTaction. To go back to an earlier firmware, ask support for a signed copy of that version. An image that has no label yet (Not checked yet) is not sent either. Wait a moment and check again. See What a refusal means.

The update finished, but the display went back to its old firmware. Why?

A display whose firmware tries a new version once goes back to the firmware it had, and restarts, if the new firmware does not start properly. SiteManager notices: the update waits up to 10 minutes for the display to confirm, and checks again later when it cannot wait. If the display went back, the job fails for it with a sentence that says so, and the critical alert Firmware went back is raised. Try the update again. If it happens again, send a diagnostics bundle to MultiTaction support. See If a display went back.

What does "SiteManager checks again at 14:32" mean?

The display was updated, and SiteManager has not yet seen it confirm the new firmware. It will ask the display again at that time, in your local time, and the line goes away or changes to confirmed once it has. You do not have to do anything. See After the update: the re-check.

Why does a firmware update take longer than before?

Because the update now waits for the display to confirm the new firmware, up to 10 minutes. A display that confirms quickly is done quickly. A display that does not say how it started is checked again 15 minutes later, after the job has ended, and does not hold the job up beyond 30 seconds.

What is the "Firmware went back" alert?

A display runs its previous firmware again after an update, or runs another firmware than SiteManager installed. It is critical, it names the display, and it clears when that display next updates successfully or a later check finds the new firmware confirmed. You can also acknowledge it. See If a display went back.

What is a canary?

The display that is updated alone, first. If the canary fails, the rollout stops and the other displays are not touched. Choose one that is easy to reach. See Update display firmware.

Can I go back to older firmware?

Yes, if you tick Allow downgrade or reinstall. On a display whose firmware checks signatures the older image must still be signed by MultiTaction, and the refusal message says to ask MultiTaction support for a copy signed by MultiTaction. See Downgrades and reinstalls.

The Firmware page says the signed catalogue is not published yet. Is something broken?

No. SiteManager asks MultiTaction's signed catalogue first. When it cannot fetch it, it lists the legacy update server instead and says so. A signed catalogue that was fetched but failed its check is never replaced by the legacy list, and the page says so in red. See Update display firmware.

Does the wall have to be idle to update firmware?

SiteManager checks before each upload and before each flash. If the wall looks busy, or it cannot tell, the job pauses, checks again every minute and carries on when the wall is idle, or when you press Go. Each display restarts and is out of use for several minutes. See The idle-wall check during the rollout.

Display security

What does securing a display do?

It gives the display an access key that only your SiteManager holds, and from then on the display answers only requests that carry the key. SiteManager uses the encrypted connection to a display that offers one whether or not it is secured. Securing changes who may read and change the display through its interface. Securing is something you choose. Nothing is secured by an upgrade. See Secure your displays.

Why does the old SiteManager show my display offline?

Because the display is secured. Securing a display locks out older SiteManager versions, SiteManager 2.x and other tools until it is released. The display refuses their requests, so they can no longer read or control it, and they may show it as offline or as an error. Upgrade every SiteManager on a site before securing displays. To let an older tool in again, select Release in the SiteManager that secured the display. See Release a display.

Can I see the access key?

No. SiteManager makes the key, keeps it in display-access.json in its state directory, and never shows it: not on a page, not in the JSON API, not on the command line, not in the logs, not in the audit log and not in a diagnostics bundle. It is not in a wall or room export either. If you need another tool to use the display, release the display. See Where the keys are kept.

I lost the computer. How do I get my displays back?

If you have a copy of the old state directory, start SiteManager from it on a new computer and the displays are yours again. If you do not, use Reset API access on each secured display's on-screen menu. The display forgets its key and is open to every tool. Add the displays to a new SiteManager and secure them again. See If the computer is lost.

Why does a backup of the state directory matter now?

Because the access keys of your secured displays are in one file in it, display-access.json, and nowhere else. A copy of the whole directory carries them. Nothing SiteManager exports does. Without a copy, a lost computer means a visit to every secured display. See Back up the state directory.

Should I turn on "Secure new displays when they are added"?

Only when every SiteManager and tool that uses your displays is ready, because adding a display then locks out all the others on that display. It is off by default. See Secure new displays automatically.

Why does a display say its firmware cannot be secured?

Its firmware has no encrypted connection or no access key. Update it to the latest MultiTaction firmware (see Update display firmware). Until then it works as before and is sent nothing new.

What does "Identity changed" mean, and should I trust it?

The display presented a different security certificate than the one SiteManager remembers, so SiteManager stopped controlling it. Trust the new identity only if you know why: the display was repaired, or its storage was reset. If you do not know, find out what is answering at its address first. See Identity changed.

What does "Reset on the display" mean?

Someone used Reset API access on the display's own on-screen menu. The display is open again and the key SiteManager holds no longer works. Select Secure this display to protect it again. See Reset on the display.

What happens if I remove a secured display from the site?

SiteManager asks you to choose. Release it, then remove it leaves the display open. Remove it and leave it locked forgets the key, and the display stays locked until someone uses Reset API access on its menu. See Removing a secured display.

Can I paste a private key to give someone access?

No. Paste only a public key, the .pub file. SiteManager refuses a private key and does not send or repeat it. Do not put secrets in the key's comment either, because comments are shown in the audit log. See Manage SSH keys.

No. Password login on a display is opened only from the display's on-screen menu, for one hour. SiteManager can show it and turn it off. See Turn password login off.

Remove it and set a new one. In SiteManager, open the display's Settings, the On-screen display tab, tick Remove PIN and apply. On the command line, sitemanager settings set --displays SERIAL --remove-pin. You do not need the old PIN, so secure the display if the PIN matters. See Set an operator PIN.

What is the update server on a display?

The address and branch the display checks for firmware itself. SiteManager shows it and can change it for one display, a wall or many displays. It is separate from the catalogue SiteManager uses to fill its own firmware cache. See Set where displays look for firmware.

Logs and support

Where is the log file?

sitemanagerd.log in the state directory: C:\ProgramData\MultiTaction\SiteManager on Windows, /var/lib/sitemanager on Linux, and the folder you gave with --state-dir on macOS. On Linux the same lines are in journalctl -u sitemanagerd. See Logs and diagnostics.

Can I make the log more detailed?

No. This version has no log-level option. Take a diagnostics bundle instead. See Logs and diagnostics.

What do I send to support?

A diagnostics bundle from Diagnostics in the menu, with a description of what you did and when. Any user can take one, including a viewer. It masks every secret SiteManager knows of, but a display's own dump may hold others, so send it only to MultiTaction support. See Logs and diagnostics.

Can I add the Canvus or Showcase logs to the bundle?

Yes. Under Files from this computer on the Diagnostics page, tick the products (Canvus, Canvus Server, Showcase, the launcher). On the command line, use --include. They are masked, and they are not in the bundle unless you tick them. Crash dumps can be included only by an administrator, and they cannot be masked, so send such a bundle only to MultiTaction support. See Files from this computer.

Who changed that setting?

The Audit page (administrators only) lists the 200 most recent changes, with the user, the action and the displays. The full log is audit.log in the state directory. See Users, roles and security.

Why does the alert pill say "Alerts off"?

Alerting is not working. The Alerts page gives the reason. A channel that does not deliver shows its Last error, and Send a test message tries it. See Alerts and Troubleshooting.

Looking after SiteManager

Where does SiteManager keep my data?

In the state directory: C:\ProgramData\MultiTaction\SiteManager on Windows, /var/lib/sitemanager on Linux, and the folder you gave with --state-dir on macOS. It holds the site, history, alert settings, jobs, the firmware cache, the Cornerstone backups and, in network mode, the users and the certificate. Keep it private. See Files, folders and logs.

How do I update SiteManager itself?

Install the newer version over the old one. On Windows run the newer installer, on Linux run sudo apt install ./sitemanager-<version>.deb, and on macOS stop the service, unpack the new archive and start it with the same --state-dir. Your site, history and certificate stay. The mode stays as it was. See Updating.

How do I move SiteManager to another computer?

Install SiteManager on the new computer, stop the service on both, and copy the old state directory over the new one before you start the new service. The copy carries the access keys of any displays you have secured (they are in display-access.json), so the new SiteManager keeps access to them. Do not start the old service again afterwards. The new computer must be on the touch network, and the Cornerstone user and paths must exist there. In network mode the certificate was made for the old computer's name, so delete tls.crt and tls.key in the copy to get a new one, and expect a new fingerprint that everything that pinned the old one must be set up again. See Files, folders and logs and First start.

Can I script SiteManager?

Yes. The sitemanager command line does most of what the web interface does, and uses the service when one is running, so every change is logged. Scripts can also use the JSON API with an API token. See The command line and The JSON API.