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SAFARI Montage® Version 3.3



Released: 12/15/2008

What's New

Administrator


The SAFARI Montage Admin area contains the following new features:

  • Server Load

    There are two new tools under the Tools menu, "Server Load" and "Server Load Averages". Server Load shows current real-time CPU load. Server Load Averages shows a history of CPU usage.

  • Sync Cache Status

    WAN Manager Child Servers and WAN Expansion Servers now have a "Sync Cache Status" tool in the Tools menu of the Admin area.

  • Server Boot Times

    This new Admin tool shows a log of reboot events and server uptime.

Tutorials

  • New context-sensitive tutorials are found throughout the SAFARI Montage interface. You will see a blue "Tutorial" button on the first page of most main sections.

Visual Dictionary

  • SAFARI Montage now supports the Visual Dictionary interactive image package. Please see Visual Dictionary for more information.

Updates

  • Activation System

    The SAFARI Montage Activation System has been improved for stability and reliability. Additionally, the system verifies licensing nightly and acquires any changes.

  • Expansion Server: Cluster Communication Improvements

    Communication between SAFARI Montage units in an Expansion Server cluster was improved to maximize performance and conserve bandwidth using caching techniques and deferred writes. Note that changes to items (media, playlists, etc.), in an Expansion Server environment, may not appear to all users until up-to-five minutes later.

  • Managed Home Access

    Managed Home Access has received a number of improvements and refinements surrounding performance, compatibility, and stability.

  • Playlists: Playlist Approval For LDAP Users

    Admin users may now grant "Approver" status to LDAP users (Teachers and Uploaders).

  • SAFARI Montage Media Player: Microsoft Windows Vista Compatibility

    The SAFARI Montage Media Player is now compatible with the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system. Note that QuickTime 7.5.5 must be installed to play QuickTime content in the SAFARI Montage Media Player. Windows Media content will play in our player with no additional software installation.

  • Search

    Search Performance Improved

  • Selective Video Streaming

    With the Selective Video Streaming add-on installed, you now have the flexibility to assign streams to individual schools and/or a school group, whereas previously, it was solely a school group.

  • General Improvements

    Over 40 other fixes and updates were made in this release.

Content Packages

This release supports the following content packages. All video packages listed are available in QuickTime and Windows Media formats.

Video

  • Algebra'scool (BestQuest) NEW!
  • Almanac Newsreel
  • Core K-8
  • Core K-8 American Overseas
  • Core K-8 Canadian
  • Core 9-12
  • Core 9-12 American Overseas
  • Core 9-12 Canadian
  • Core K-12
  • Core K-12 American Overseas
  • Junior High Supplement
  • Math'scool (BestQuest)
  • National Underground Freedom Center
  • Core K-12 American Overseas
  • Reading Rainbow
  • Schlessinger K-8
  • Schlessinger K-8 Additional Upgrade
  • Schlessinger K-8 Additional Rev. A
  • Schlessinger 9-12
  • Schlessinger 9-12 Additional
  • Video Encyclopedia of the 20th Century

Still Images

  • Schlessinger Image Library
  • World Factbook

Interactive

  • Visual Dictionary - NEW!

Microsoft Windows©


Windows Vista

Web Browsers
  • Internet Explorer 7.0
  • Firefox 2.0 - 3.0: Full-screen playback unavailable. Windows Media not supported.
Browser Plug-ins
  • SAFARI Montage Media Player 1.0.3+ for Windows Vista: See "SAFARI Montage Media Player" under "Browser Plug-ins" in the "All Platforms" section below.
  • QuickTime 7.5.5+
  • Windows Media Player 9-11: Windows Media Player 9 does not support closed captioning in Full-Screen mode.
  • Flash Player 9: Required for Visual Dictionary interactive image package.

Windows XP©

Web Browsers
  • Internet Explorer 7.0
  • Firefox 2.0 - 3.0: Full-screen playback unavailable. Windows Media not supported.
Browser Plug-ins
  • SAFARI Montage Media Player 1.0.3+ for Windows Vista: See "SAFARI Montage Media Player" under "Browser Plug-ins" in the "All Platforms" section below.
  • Flash Player 9: Required for Visual Dictionary interactive image package.

Minimum Hardware

  • 1.5 GHz CPU (Recommended: 2 GHz or greater)
  • 256 MB RAM (Recommended: 512 MB or greater)
  • 64 MB of Video RAM


Apple Macintosh©


Mac OS® X 10.4-10.5

Web Browsers
  • Safari 2.0-3.0
  • Firefox 2.0-3.0
Browser Plug-ins
  • SAFARI Montage Media Player 1.0.8+ for Mac OS X: See "SAFARI Montage Media Player" under "Browser Plug-ins" in the "All Platforms" section below.
  • QuickTime 7.5.5+
  • Flash Player 9: Required for Visual Dictionary interactive image package.

Mac OS® X 10.3.9

SAFARI Montage CreationStation add-on is not supported on this operating system.

Web Browsers
  • Firefox 2.0-3.0
Browser Plug-ins
  • SAFARI Montage Media Player 1.0.8+ for Mac OS X: See "SAFARI Montage Media Player" under "Browser Plug-ins" in the "All Platforms" section below.
  • QuickTime 7.4.5
  • Flash Player 9: Required for Visual Dictionary interactive image package.

Minimum Hardware

  • G4 (Recommended: G5 or Intel System)
  • 1 GHz CPU (Recommended: 1.6 GHz or greater)
  • 256 MB RAM (Recommended: 512 or greater)
  • 64 MB Video RAM

All Platforms


All Operating Systems

Browser Plug-ins
  • SAFARI Montage Media Player: Plays both Windows Media and QuickTime, but in order to play QuickTime media, you must have QuickTime 7.5.5+ installed.  SAFARI Montage Media Player is required for:
    • Microsoft Windows Vista Compatibility
    • SAFARI Montage Managed Home Access Add-on
    • Closed Captions
    • Mulit-Language Audio
    • Enhanced Full-Screen Playback
  • Sun Java2 Virtual Machine, Version 5, Update 5 or Greater: Required for CreationStation uploads.
Local Area Network
  • 100Mb Wired Ethernet
  • NetBIOS Protocol
    • Windows: "Client for Microsoft Networks" protocol must be active on client machines.
    • OS X: The "Samba" suite of protocols are already active. No changes are required.
  • Switched Backbone
  • Full Duplex

Instructions for Updating Your SAFARI Montage OS to Version 3.3.1



Please note that these update instructions are ONLY for updates to installations of version 2.3.13 or higher. If you are currently running a version prior to 2.3.13, you will need to update your installation to 2.3.13 first.


Contents - One(1) Update DVD:
  • SAFARI Montage Update version 3.3.1 Disc 1 of 1
Please read these instructions in their entirety before you begin:
  • These instructions and all related documents are available online at http://www.safarimontage.com/support
  • Please read these instructions completely to plan your update.
  • Review the SAFARI Montage System Requirements to ensure your environment meets all requirements.
  • Include time to backup your system in your update planning.
  • No one should use the SAFARI Montage system during the update process, so please run the update off-hours.
  • Review any questions with Technical Support in advance. Please note that SAFARI Montage Technical Support is available Monday - Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern Time and may be contacted by telephone at 800-782-7230 or online via http://www.safarimontage.com/support
Important Considerations:
  • If you are upgrading from version 3.2.x or later:
    • This update will take approximately one hour to apply to each server in your environment.
  • If you are upgrading from version 2.3.13 or 3.1.x:
    • This update includes significant software updates and database optimizations and may take from four to six hours to complete on your primary server, after which updates can be distributed and synchronized to your expansion and child servers.
    • The total time to complete the update will depend upon the number of servers in your specific environment, so please use the following guidelines when planning your schedule:
      • 1 or 2 servers can be upgraded overnight.
      • 3 or more servers should be upgraded when 1-2 days of downtime can be scheduled.
    • Once the software update is complete, the SAFARI Montage server will reboot and the database optimization process will begin automatically.
  • If you are watching the update from the Console, be aware that the system may appear to be inactive at certain times during the update. This does not mean that the update has stopped.
WARNING: DO NOT interrupt the update in any way or power off the server at any time during the update process or database optimization. Doing so may severely and irreparably damage your Safari Montage system.

If you are running WAN Manager with Expansion Server(s):

  • The Expansion Controller must be upgraded first. See Update Instructions below.
  • Once the Expansion Controller has been updated, it will automatically push the update to all of the Expansion Servers. The progress of this update push can be viewed by browsing to Admin -> Expansion Server -> Expansion Servers.

If you are running WAN Manager with Child Server(s):

  • The WAN Manager Parent server must be upgraded first. See Update Instructions below.
  • Once the update is completed on the WAN Manager Parent server, you will be able to automatically "push" the update to the Child Servers, thereby eliminating the need to update them separately onsite.
    • Browse to Admin -> WAN Manager -> Child Servers
    • Either check "Remote update all servers," which will update five servers at a time until they have all been updated, or select individual servers to be updated by checking the box next to the server name. The update will proceed automatically.

Total time to update all expansion and/or child servers will depend upon the total number of servers and available bandwidth The update will be downloaded to each remote server, where the update process will run automatically and take approximately one to two hours. If "Remote update all servers" is selected, servers will be processed in groups of five and updates will run concurrently on each group of remote servers.

Update Instructions:

  • Backup your SAFARI Montage system via the Administration tools:
    • Navigate to Admin -> Data Recovery -> Backup
    • Perform a full backup setting the backup option "Data Only" to "No".
  • At the SAFARI Montage Console, select "Eject CD" to open the CD drive and insert the SAFARI Montage Update DVD.
  • Select "Update from CD-ROM" to run the software update, which will take approximately one to two hours, after which the server will reboot.
  • If you are upgrading from a version prior to 3.2.8, database optimizations will begin automatically when the server reboots. Please allow at least six hours for this process to complete.
~ THIS COMPLETES THE SERVER UPDATE PROCESS. PLEASE TEST FROM A CLIENT BROWSER. ~

Deploying SAFARI Montage Media Player:

See separate instructions at http://www.safarimontage.com/support to deploy the new SAFARI Montage Media Player to your client environment.