Media Uploader Application (MUA)

1. What is the Media Uploader Application (MUA) and how does it work?

The Extreme Reach Media Uploader is an automated file uploader tool.
It runs as a service and is managed via the Media Uploader page in your account (no local GUI). It is a lightweight java-based application and takes about 5 minutes to install and set up. Within minutes a full upload test can be completed, verifying full functionality.

Once it is up and running, the Media Uploader performs the following:

• Checks in with the Extreme Reach data center, into your account, via HTTPS (using the token and passkey in your account), authenticates, receives a manifest of pending uploads, and supplies a status update.
  Note: For a spot to be considered “pending”, metadata for that spot MUST be entered into the
• Extreme Reach Platform. For more information, please contact your Client Manager.
  After it receives a manifest (creative pending upload), it watches the designated ‘watched’ folder for the spot to be uploaded.
• Once the spot is placed in the watched folder, it is uploaded by the MUA directly to the Extreme Reach CDN
  (Content Delivery Network) via HTTP.
• After the spot is uploaded, the file is verified and a status is sent back indicating completed upload. It also sends back progress status concerning in-process or pending uploads.

2. What kind of application is this? Does it run on my desktop?

The Media Uploader runs as a ‘service’ on the installed computer – it does NOT run on your desktop. This service runs in the background. There is no user interface or GUI to manage the application on the installed computer and there is no program to “launch”. You manage the application by logging into your Extreme Reach Account and clicking on the ‘Media Uploader’ page, where you will find configuration options and an Audit Log tab where communication can be monitored.

3. What are the installation requirements for the Extreme Reach Media Uploader?

Hardware Requirements are based on the operating system computing platform requirements. In general, if the system is properly supporting the OS, then it will work fine with the Extreme Reach Media Uploader and Java Runtime Environment. The Media Uploader is a very small java-based application running as a service.

Operating Systems Supported:

• Windows 2000/2003/2008/2012 Server, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10
  Note: For use with Windows 8, the MUA software needs to be installed in “Compatibility Mode” and selecting “Run as Windows 7”.
• Mac OS, Tiger (10.4), up to Sierra (10.12). (PPC or Intel-based Macs)
• PLEASE BE ADVISED While the MUA software will install on a very limited number of “flavors” of Linux, installs on this OS still require several script modifications. Therefore, Extreme Reach is unable to offer support for Linux systems. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Software required:

• Java Runtime Environment 6.0 or higher. You can get the latest version of Java for your platform from here: http://www.java.com/en/

Hard Disk Space Required:

• Minimum 10MB for Extreme Reach Media Uploader Agent
• Minimum 75MB for Java Runtime Environment 6.0 or greater
• Spot storage space - depends on file format chosen and uploads expected

Please Note: Extreme Reach stores the spots for you long-term in our Content Delivery Network, so you only need to maintain locally the most immediate spots for upload

4. Where can I find the MUA so I can install it?

Log into your Extreme Reach account. Go to the Media Uploader page using the Account menu and clicking on Media Uploader. If you don’t already have an MUA, please contact your Client Manager and they will be happy add one for you. Need more than one MUA? No problem! We can add as many as you need!

Once an MUA is added to your account and you access it via our website, you should be able to see a page similar to the one above. Just click on the “Click here” link on the website and follow the install instructions specific to your Operating System.

Note: The MUA in your account will have a unique set of characters to copy and paste during the install and will not work properly for other MUA instillation!

5. What local account permissions do I need to install the Media Uploader?

For a proper installation, the user who is logged into the computer and performing the installation needs to have administrator privileges on the machine.

6. When and where do you specify the ‘watch’ upload folder location?

It is best to specify the upload folder location in your Extreme Reach account, in the Media Uploader web page, Local Upload Folders section, prior to installation. The watch folder can be created after the install is complete. There is also an Archive Folder option, where you can specify a location for the files to be moved after uploading is completed. Once the file is verified uploaded it is deleted from the Watch Folder. See the example below.

7. Can a single Media Uploader handle multiple Watch Folders?

No. Only one Watch Folder is allowed per installation of the MUA. However, your Client Manager can add another MUA to your account, you can install it on a different computer, and watch a different folder. Remember, you can only have one MUA installed per computer, and it must use a unique Token and Passkey combination. There should not be 2 MUAs sharing the same Token and Passkey.

8. How can the Media Uploader access network shares?
Like //192.168.5.9/remoteShareName

If you are using a remote share, the path may be a little different. The syntax varies between Windows and Mac OS X.

• In Windows, it needs to be specified by full IP and path name, like \\192.168.1.10\share_directory\subfolder. Do not use mapped drives (like Z:) as they may contain cached credentials and login-specific mappings that can interrupt transfers.
• On Mac OS X, network shares are treated like your hard drive or other external disks and are visible inside the /Volumes/ directory (not automatically visible in Finder). In this circumstance, the path would be formatted as /Volumes/disk-or-share-name/subfolder/. Note that Mac OS X interacts with file server shares differently from Windows and they are not available until you log in to the system and connect to the network share. This can throw the occasional “Watch Folder Not Found!” error in your MDA’s log, but is resolved as soon as the share is connected.

Second, the Media Uploader service runs as, by default, is the ‘local system account’ that only has permissions to access shares on the local machine - not network shares. If you are installing the Media Uploader on a PC that needs to reach across the network and access a share elsewhere, then you will need to install the Media Uploader with an account that has permissions to do this. During installation you are presented with an option to use a different account for the Media Uploader service - enter an account with permissions to access the network share. Or, after installation, you can edit the “Extreme Reach Media Uploader” service directly, and modify the ‘logon’ permissions. Contact Extreme Reach Support for assistance with properly setting up remote share delivery.

9. How can I test to see if the Media Uploader can access my network share?

Here’s a quick test to know that the account you wish to use has the right access to a network share:

1. Logon to the computer where the Media Uploader is installed (or will be installed), using the special account you wish to use.
2. Using your file navigation tool, access the network share that you want the Media Uploader to access. This should be the same path that you would enter in the Media Uploader page.
3. Verify that you can write a file to this path.
   If you are unable to write to the network share, then either the account you have chosen does not have the appropriate permissions, or the way the path is specified is incorrect. Contact Extreme Reach Support for assistance with properly setting up remote share access.

10. What protocols are utilized with the Media Uploader when communicating with Extreme Reach?

The Media Uploader communicates on both ports 443 (Secure Socket Layer protocol for authentication) and port 80 (HTTP protocol, for uploads). Port 443 SSL HTTPS with app. extremereach.com, agents.extremereach.com, and updates. extremereach.com and port 80 HTTP for pushing uploads to Extreme Reach storage.

IMPORTANT: The MUA always initiates the communication with an outbound request to Extreme Reach. The Extreme Reach Network Operations Center cannot reach the MUA unless it first initiates the communication with our servers.

11. How does the MUA work with firewalls?

If your firewall allows outbound requests from internal servers, then you should be all set. If your firewall requires ACL’s (access control lists) to be set, then it is best to use the DNS names noted above. If specific IP addresses and netblocks are required, please contact Extreme Reach Support.

Note: IPs (Internet Protocol numbers) may change in the future, but the URL’s will remain the same.

12. Can I schedule polling to ensure Uploads occur at specific times?

There is an Advanced option in the Media Uploader section of your Extreme Reach account where you can set a window of time for uploads.

13. Do you keep any logs locally?

Yes. In the rare event of any error, you may be asked by Support to collect and send the following files to support@extremereach.com for analysis and resolution.

Note: The paths referenced are for a typical installation, and may vary depending on where you installed the application:

For Windows installs:

• C:\Program Files\Extreme Reach Media Uploader\etc\ MUA.properties
• C:\Program Files\Extreme Reach Media Uploader\log\ MUA.log

For Mac installs:

• /Applications/Extreme Reach/Media Uploader/log

14. What happens if the MUA stops functioning? Will I be notified?

Yes. The MUA communicates with the Extreme Reach data center on a set polling cycle. If our servers do not receive any communication from your MUA for several minutes, a notification will be sent to the email addresses you have setup in the Advanced section of the Media Uploader configuration page.

15. What happens if I turn off the computer that has the MUA installed? Will I still be able to upload spots?

Well, if you turn off the computer hosting the MUA, automated uploading of spots will stop. However, you can still upload spots using the Upload Creative page in your account, from any computer.

Note: Please be sure to turn off any screensavers and disable “Sleep Mode” on the computer with the MUA installed on it. Some computers set to “Sleep” (and even some screensavers) can interrupt the Internet connection and cause uploads to fail.