Getting started with MXL version 1

Table of Contents

Trial mode

Without a license a MXL product can be used for seven days with all features and no limitations. Trial mode requires an Internet connection.

For trial mode or if licensing is already set up, you may skip the next two sections and continue with the MXL Recorder.

License portal

Your purchased licenses are managed through X-Software’s license portal:

https://license-portal.x-software.com/

You should have received a temporary password for your first login. After logging in you see a list of your licenses. Please don’t forget to change your initial password.

MXL On-Premise Licenser

X-Software’s license server, the MXL On-Premise Licenser, shares a license between the MXL applications in a network.

A MXL application connects to the MXL On-Premise Licenser, requests an execution right, and returns it upon exit. When the application is terminated ungracefully, the right will be available again within two minutes latest.

The MXL On-Premise Licenser activates the license directly with Internet access to the license portal or offline by generating a request. This request is used to activate the license from an arbitrary device with Internet access to the license portal. The resulting activation response subsequently is applied on the offline computer by the MXL On-Premise Licenser. Without direct Internet access, the activation has to be repeated manually before the binding validity expires.

Failsafe Cluster

In order to setup a failsafe cluster, a license is bound to a list of at least three MXL On-Premise Licensers. This list of IP addresses and associated port numbers is part of the license. The license has to be activated for each MXL On-Premise Licenser and is usable as long as only one of them is down.

The total number of listed servers determines how many servers may be replaced immediately, e.g. because of a hardware failure, namely three less. After a replacement another one will be already possible at the end of the binding validity of the superseded MXL On-Premise Licenser.

System requirements

  • Linux distribution with glibc 2.17 or newer

Download

Download the installation package to, e.g., the /tmp directory and make it executable:

cd /tmp
chmod a+x MXL-On-Premise-Licenser-1.*-Linux-x86_64.run

Installation

Navigate to the directory, where the On-Premise Licenser should be installed, e.g. /opt, and execute the file with administrative privileges:

cd /opt
sudo /tmp/MXL-On-Premise-Licenser-1.*-Linux-x86_64.run

The directory /opt/mxl-on-premise-licenser-1/bin/ contains exactly one MXL On-Premise Licenser for each MXL product, <PRODUCT>-on-premise-licenser.

Activation

With direct Internet access

In order to activate a license with direct Internet access to the license portal, execute the corresponding MXL On-Premise Licenser with the license key:

sudo /opt/mxl-on-premise-licenser-1/bin/<PRODUCT>-on-premise-licenser --activate <LICENSE_KEY>

Without direct Internet access

In order to activate a license without direct Internet access, execute the corresponding MXL On-Premise Licenser to generate an activation request:

sudo /opt/mxl-on-premise-licenser-1/bin/<PRODUCT>-on-premise-licenser --activation-request /tmp/activation-request.txt <LICENSE_KEY>

On the license portal click the appropriate license, select “Activations” and then “Offline Activation”. Paste the activation request into the form and select “ACTIVATE” and then “Download Response”.

Activate the license by executing the corresponding MXL On-Premise Licenser with the activation response:

sudo /opt/mxl-on-premise-licenser-1/bin/<PRODUCT>-on-premise-licenser --activation-response /tmp/activation-response.txt <LICENSE_KEY>

Usage

Start the corresponding MXL On-Premise Licenser specifying a port number:

sudo /opt/mxl-on-premise-licenser-1/bin/<PRODUCT>-on-premise-licenser --start <PORT_NUMBER>

For a failsafe cluster of MXL On-Premise Licensers the port number must equal the corresponding port number in the license. Otherwise use an arbitrary free port, e.g. around 9000.

Setup the MXL application with a MXL On-Premise Licenser:

/opt/mxl-<PRODUCT>-1/bin/mxl—<PRODUCT> --on-premise-licenser <HOST>:<PORT_NUMBER>

Hardware replacement

Partial hardware changes over time are allowed, but have to be taught by repeating the activation process. This keeps the binding up to date, otherwise the license may become unusable with the next hardware change.

In case of a complete hardware replacement the license first has to be unbound (deactivated) and reactivated after its transfer to another computer. A failsafe cluster of enough MXL On-Premise Licensers allows ad-hoc replacements. Otherwise, a deactivation has to be requested from licensing@x-software.com. However, this is possible only towards the end of the binding validity (one week or one year, depending on the license type, online or offline).

There is a certain trade-off between prompt and lazy re-activation of an offline license. If, on the one hand, you move the start of the binding validity forward by continuous re-activation, you correspondingly shift its end and thus the earliest possibility of a complete hardware replacement further into the future. On the other hand, if you re-activate partially changed hardware too late, you risk that the next change will count as a complete hardware replacement, which may not be possible before the end of the binding validity.

Uninstall

In order to remove the software execute the following command:

sudo /opt/mxl-on-premise-licenser-1/bin/uninstall.sh

MXL Recorder

System requirements

  • Linux distribution with glibc 2.17 or newer
  • Recommended for hardware acceleration: NVIDIA Quadro graphics card with driver version 396.24 or newer

Download

Download the installation package to, e.g., the /tmp directory and make it executable:

cd /tmp
chmod a+x MXL-Recorder-1.*-Linux-x86_64.run

Installation

Navigate to the directory, where the MXL Recorder should be installed, e.g. /opt, and execute the file with administrative privileges:

cd /opt
sudo /tmp/MXL-Recorder-1.*-Linux-x86_64.run

Usage

For NVIDIA consumer graphics use the following command:

/opt/mxl-recorder-1/bin/mxl-recorder --screengrabber xcb --videocodecpixelformat bgr0 /tmp/record.mkv

For NVIDIA Quadro graphics use the following command:

/opt/mxl-recorder-1/bin/mxl-recorder /tmp/record.mkv

Send signal SIGTERM (e.g. by CTRL-C) to gracefully stop the recording. An ungraceful termination of the recorder makes the recorded file unseekable.

The MXL Recorder understands three command line arguments which have impact on the recording sizes and — the first two — on the quality of the recordings:

  • The --fps=frames_per_second argument lets you choose to set the number of frames per second that are requested by the graphics system (default 30)
  • The --qp=quantization_parameter_value argument lets you choose a tradeoff between image quality and file size. The maximum value of 51 means worst quality and small size (default 30).
  • The --gop=group_of_pictures_value argument is related to the frequency of key frames in the recording. When positioning the player has to seek within a group of pictures. The value specifies the length of a group in frames. For instance, the default value of 1800 would mean one minute recorded time at 30 fps.

Starting the MXL Recorder with --help displays all command line arguments.

If you want to record a series of sequential files, the two shell scripts could serve as a starting point for your integration:

  • next_file.sh lets a running MXL Recorder close the current recorded file and start a new file without losing any frames. The closed file is archived according to its start time.
  • watch_file_size.sh calls next_file.sh when the current recorded file reaches a certain size.
/opt/mxl-recorder-1/bin/mxl-recorder

Starting the recorder with --help displays all command line arguments.

By default the recorder requires a NVIDIA graphics card and records to /tmp/record.mkv.

Send signal SIGTERM (e.g. by CTRL-C) to gracefully stop the recording. An ungraceful termination of the recorder makes the recorded file unseekable.

Uninstall

In order to remove the software execute the following command:

sudo /opt/mxl-recorder-1/bin/uninstall.sh

MXL Player

System requirements

  • Linux distribution with glibc 2.17 or newer
  • Recommended for hardware acceleration: NVIDIA graphics card with driver version 396.24 or newer

Download

Download the installation package to, e.g., the /tmp directory and make it executable:

cd /tmp
chmod a+x MXL-Player-1.*-Linux-x86_64.run

Installation

Navigate to the directory, where the MXL Player should be installed, e.g. /opt, and execute the file with administrative privileges:

cd /opt
sudo /tmp/MXL-Player-1.*-Linux-x86_64.run

Usage

The MXL Player operates in two modes:

  • In default mode the user can access recorded files using a file chooser, drag and drop, or other desktop methods, and manage them in a playlist. The Editor extension is available if licensed.

  • In integrated mode the recorded files to be played cannot be chosen nor managed by the user, but are specified on the command line by the caller. The Editor extension is disabled.

The mode is specified on the command line, either default or integrated:

/opt/mxl-player-1/bin/mxl-player [mode] …

If no mode is specified, the MXL Player starts in the default mode.

Starting the MXL Player with --help displays all command line options for the active mode.

Default mode

The default mode provides a sortable playlist, an editor and full access to the filesystem.

To playback one or more recorded files use the following command:

/opt/mxl-player-1/bin/mxl-player [default] [options] [record_file(s)]

Integrated mode

In integrated mode the player does not have a playlist as all specified files are combined in a timeline by summing up the respective file durations. Individual files are not exposed by the interface, the file system cannot be accessed. The editor is disabled in this mode.

To playback one or more recorded files use the following command:

/opt/mxl-player-1/bin/mxl-player integrated [options] record_file(s)

Uninstall

In order to remove the software execute the following command:

sudo /opt/mxl-player-1/bin/uninstall.sh