Managing Content

Learn about Content Management to configure content files to the library, schedule content file for download and track the download status.

Prerequisites

Following are the prerequisites for using Content Management:

VHQ customer must procure and activate the VHQ server license for the Content Management feature.
MX 9xx devices must have a minimum OS version of release-20120625 and SC3 or later version. MX 8xx devices must have a minimum OS version of RFS18 and SP1 or a later version.
VHQ Agent version 1.03.0019B or later must be used in the MX devices.
The application in the MX device uses the content files downloaded from VHQ. These content files must be compliant with the VHQ Agent application. For more information you can contact your VHQ support representative at Verifone.

Content Library

You can manage content in the content library. The content library helps you to upload, edit, delete, schedule and view the content files. The VHQ Content Library list has a List mode and a Thumbnail mode. In the list mode, a data grid displays all content files available for download to a device.

Go to Content Management > Manage Contents > Content Library.

Manage Contents1

The following alerts are generated when content is downloaded and installed in a device:

Download Failed: This alert is generated when the Software/Content/VRK packages could not be downloaded successfully or fails to send response to the server within the specified threshold limit.
Install Failed: This alert is generated when the software could not be installed successfully or fails to send response to the server within the specified threshold limit.
Content Replace Failed: This alert is generated when a scheduled content cannot be replaced with the existing content or fails to send response of content replacement in the device within the specified threshold limit.

Uploading a File

VHQ GUI supports the upload of unsigned raw content files, which can then be scheduled for download to devices. The table given below lists the content files formats supported for Mx8xx and Mx9xx devices.

File Type	MX8xx	Mx9xx
Still Image	.png, .jpg, .tiff	.png, .jpg, .tiff
Audio	.wav	.wav, .mp3
Video	.avi, .mpg	.avi, .mpg
Animation	.eet	.eet
Form	.frm	.frm

An animation file type is a combination of any of the following to create an .eet file using EET editor: .PNG, .JPG, .GIF, .TIF, .ANI, .BMP.
The size of a content file must not exceed 50 MB. This limit is further reduced based on available free memory on the device to which the content file is downloaded.

To upload files:

Click Upload File in Content Library screen.

NOTE:
If you don’t have the option to add/edit/delete files in the VHQ Content Library in VHQ GUI, please verify if the VHQ role that is associated with your VHQ login has the full rights for the Content Library action.

Enter the values in the field and click Upload File.

Fields	Description
Content Name	The user must specify a user-friendly name for the content file. This is a mandatory field.
File	The user browses and selects the content file to be uploaded to VHQ. Once entered, this cannot be changed. This is a mandatory field.
Device file location	This is the user directory on the device where the image needs to be sent. The user has to first predefine this value under the Content Configuration section in the Administration tab in VHQ GUI and then select the relevant value from the Device File Location drop-down list. This is a mandatory field.
Description	This field is an optional field and it can be used to provide a brief description of the content file.
Content Version	A numeric version number has to be assigned to the content file. The maximum length of this field is 20 characters and it is a mandatory field.
Tags	Tags can be used to perform a search to find all content with a given tag. Example, an advertisement for 50% off all donuts at a grocery store may have tags such as Donuts and 50% off. In order to find this advertisement, the user would simply need to search for the tag Donuts or the tag 50% off to find the advertisement in the VHQ Content Library. If multiple tags are specified for a file, ensure that the tags are separated by space character. This field is an optional field.
Filename on device	This is the name of the file when it is placed on the device. The user has to first predefine this value under the Content Configuration section in the Administration tab in VHQ GUI, and then select the relevant value from the Filename on Device drop-down list. This is a mandatory field.
Target User	The content file is targeted for an application running on the device. In the Target User drop-down list, select the device user (user1, user2…user16) that is associated with the relevant application running on the device.

Editing File

You can edit the attributes of a content file. You must select the relevant file from the Content Library and then click the Edit File to edit the file attributes. It is not possible to edit the file name or content name attributes.

To edit a file:

Select the relevant file from the Content Library.
Click Edit File.
Click Save.

NOTE:
You cannot edit the file name or content name attributes.

Deleting File

To delete one or more content files from the Content Library screen, select the required files and then click Delete File.

On deletion, the Content package is deleted from the Content Library but the history is maintained. If a content file is deleted from the Content Library and, then added back with the same file name and content name, then the devices that were scheduled to download the original content file on a future date will not be able to download it. This is true, even if the file is re-uploaded to the Content Library with the same file name and content name.

To delete file (s):

Select the file (s).
Click Delete.

Switch View

You can view the content in Thumbnail mode or List mode.
1. Thumbnail mode: You can view the content as thumbnails. You can see the properties of the content when they you the mouse over the content image. You can click on the content and preview the content, which is to view the image file, play a video file or audio file. You can hear the audio for a video or audio file.
a. Click to view file information.

b. Click Download to PC to download.

c. Click Preview to preview.

2. Switch View mode: You can toggle between the list mode and the thumbnail mode.

The columns displayed in the list view are:

Column	Description
Thumbnail	For image files and video files, a thumbnail is displayed and VHQ Server automatically generates the thumbnails for the image and video files. For the audio and .eet files, no thumbnail are available
Content name	The user friendly name for the Content file.
File	The file name of the Content file as it exists in VHQ Server.
File Size (MB)	The file size in MB.
File Type	This file type column will always have a value of Content to denote that it is a content file.
Description	The description of the content file.
Version	The version of the content file. This is just used for tracking the file version, and the actual value has no impact on the content file when it is downloaded to devices.
Preview	If a preview is available for a content file, then a user can click on the icon in the Preview column for the relevant content file to preview the content. The user can hear the audio for a video or audio file.
Tags	If any tags were specified for a content file, it will be visible in this column.
Date Uploaded	The date when the content file was uploaded to VHQ library and this date and time value is according to the local time of the VHQ GUI user.
Uploaded By	The VHQ user who uploaded this content file.
Device File Location	The location in the device where this content file will be downloaded. The value displayed in this column is a symbolic location, and to view the corresponding actual location in the device, refer to the Content Configuration section under the Administration tab in VHQ GUI.
Last Used Date	This is the date and time when this content file was last scheduled for a download and this date and time value is according to the local time of the VHQ GUI user. This will help users to know which content files are being actively used and which are not, and thereby help with cleaning up the VHQ Content Library.

Scheduling Content for Download

Content Management supports the loading of images, audio and video files into the VHQ system for delivery to target devices. Once content is loaded into VHQ, the target devices are selected and the content is scheduled. The content does not have to be signed to download to the devices.

NOTE:
If you don’t have the option to schedule the download of content files from the VHQ Content Library, please verify if the VHQ role that is associated with your VHQ login has the full rights for the Content Scheduler action.

To schedule the delivery of content files to devices:

Go to Content Management > Manage Contents > Schedule Content.

NOTE:
There is a preview section in the Schedule Content Delivery screen that displays up to the first 250 matching devices to which the content file (s) will be downloaded, as shown below. The actual number of matching devices based on the search criteria used in step 1 can be more than 250; however, the preview section will only display the first 250 matching devices.

Click Schedule.

Specify the desired options for the configurations in the Schedule Content screen, and click Next button/Schedule tab for the information given below:

Download on: Specify when the content file(s) have to be downloaded to the selected devices.

If the next Maintenance window option is selected, the content file will be downloaded to the devices when they send their next Maintenance Heartbeat message to the VHQ server.
If Next contact option is selected, the content file will be downloaded to the devices when they send their next Heartbeat or Maintenance Heartbeat message to the VHQ server.
If a specific date and time is provided (which refers to device local date and time), then the content file(s) will be downloaded at this time, even if it occurs during the business hours of the user.

Apply on: Specify when the content file(s) have to be applied in the selected devices.

If Immediately after download option is selected, the content file will be applied in the selected devices immediately after the content files are downloaded.
If a specific date and time is provided (which refers to device local date and time), then the content file will be applied at this time, even if it occurs during business hours of the user. If multiple content files are scheduled, the order in which the content files are downloaded and applied is not guaranteed. However, the VHQ Agent will individually report the status of each of the content files to VHQ server.

NOTE:
Any communication made from the device on Next Contact includes the Status, Events, Maintenance Heartbeat or Heartbeat communication, except the Key Exchange Message. For each of this contact from device, if Management Plan is available for the device at that point of time it will be sent to the device.

Expiry on: Specify when the file content should expire on the device. If a valid value is specified (which refers to device local date and time), then this content will expire in the device and it will be replaced with prior content that was active on the device at the time this new content file was applied. If no expiry date is specified, then the content will not expire in the selected devices.

Click Submit once the required parameters are specified in the Schedule Content screen.
Click on to schedule a new job.

NOTE:

VHQ Agent version 1.06.0007 or higher supports multiple package download.

Once a content download is scheduled and the details of the package to be downloaded are sent to devices, it goes into Schedule Sent status, and is possible to cancel the download to these devices. A download with a future install time is treated as two Operation Sets on the device, where the first Operation Set is Download and second Install. In such a scenario, if the download has started, you can still cancel Install operation sets prior to the install time. When you opt to cancel the Install operation, then the VHQ Agent will return a status as Success with additional information field set to Cancel Operation Successful, and delete uninstalled packages in the device. Once an operation set begins to execute, it cannot be cancelled.

VHQ Agent version 1.06.0007 or higher supports multiple package download.

Monitoring Content Downloads

You can view the content job status and the detailed Content status.

Content Job Status

You can view the content job status for devices to which content was downloaded from VHQ.

To view the content status chart:

Go to Content Management > Charts > Content Status.

You can also cancel the job if required.

NOTE:

The content job status of a single device can be viewed from the Content History tab in the Device Profile of this device under the Device Management tab in VHQ GUI.

The icons displayed in the top right corner of the Content Job Status screen are:

Icon	Description
	To cancel the content provided.
	To reset all the filters that you specified and see all the applicable data.
	To control the columns that are displayed on this screen, and specify the columns that should be displayed on this screen. The changes that you make on this screen are only valid for the current VHQ GUI session.
	To export the data to an Excel file.
	To refresh the data.

Detailed Content Status

The Detailed Content status allows you to view the detailed status of selected downloads.

To view the detailed content status:

Go to Content Management > Manage Contents > Detailed Content Status.

You can Reschedule the failed download content using, the icon displayed in the top right corner of the Detailed Content Status screen.