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--- tutorials:other:multi_instance_playout [2018/11/13 13:27] – tw
+++ tutorials:other:multi_instance_playout [2020/09/16 07:03] (current) – [Multi Instance Playout] How it works tw
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 ====== Multi Instance Playout ======
-This tutorial explains how to set up a multi instance playout server with mAirList: A single computers that hosts multiple mAirList playout processes, usually each creating one or more Shoutcast/Icecast streams.
+This tutorial explains how to set up a multi instance playout server with mAirList: A single computer that hosts multiple mAirList playout processes, usually each creating one or more Shoutcast/Icecast streams.
 Multi instance installations can be set up on ordinary PC hardware, or on Windows servers hosted in datacenters -- if you are only going to create Shoutcast/Icecast streams (no local audio), no audio hardware is required.
+===== How It Works =====
+mAirList keeps all configuration and data in it's **data folder**, which defaults to ''C:\ProgramData\mAirList\<Version>'' for ordinary setups created with the installer. (Note that it's "ProgramData", not "Program Files"!).
+By using special command line parameters, it is possible to specify a different folder as the main data folder (or parts thereof), and thus having multiple ``mAirList.exe`` processes (instances) running at the same time, and using separate configuration sets.
+Our *Multi Instance Manager* application facilitates this process, but you can also specify these parameters manually. Both options are described in this article.
 ===== Prerequisites =====
-Each mAirList licenses is valid for a single playout instances only. In order to run multiple playouts on the same computer, you will need
+Each mAirList license is valid for a single playout instance only. In order to run multiple playouts on the same computer, you will need
   * either a separate license per playout instance,
-  * or a special multi-instance playout license (available as a paid add-on for mAirList Professional - please contact sales).
+  * or a special multi-instance playout license (available as a paid add-on for mAirList Professional -- please contact <sales@mairlist.com>).
-(Without any of these two, you can still use the multi-instance setup to manage multiple configurations, but you can only use one at a time without a multi-instance license.)
+(Without any of these two, you can still use the multi-instance setup to manage multiple configurations, but you can only use one at a time.)
 All instances will have a separate configuration and can use any kind of scheduling backend. If you use mAirListDB for scheduling, you will probably want to set up [[tutorials:mairlistdb:multi-station|mAirListDB Multi-Station]] first.
@@ Line 24: / Line 31: @@
 Multi Instance Manager is available for download here: [[http://download.mairlist.com/MultiInstanceManager/]]
-It comes as a Zip file without any installer. Just unzip anywhere, e.g. on the Desktop. The configuration will be stored in an .ini file inside the same folder.
+It comes as a .zip file without any installer. Just unzip anywhere, e.g. on the Desktop. The configuration will be stored in an .ini file inside the same folder.
-Do **NOT** unzip the software anywhere inside ''C:\Program Files'', or any other folder restricted by the Windows UAC! The Desktop, or a custom folder like ''C:\mAirList'', is a good choice. As you will require a separate data folder per instance (see below), we suggest you create a directory structure like this:
+Do **NOT** unzip the software anywhere inside ''C:\Program Files'', or any other folder restricted by the Windows User Account Control! The Desktop, or a custom folder like ''C:\mAirList'', is a good choice. As you will require a separate data folder per instance (see below), we suggest you create a directory structure like this:
   C:\mAirList\MultiInstanceManager (<-- unzip here)
@@ Line 32: / Line 39: @@
   C:\mAirList\Instances\02-secondinstance (<-- data folder for second instance)
   etc.
 ==== Download and install mAirList ====
@@ Line 47: / Line 55: @@
 {{ :tutorials:other:pasted:20160322-111220.png?400 }}
-First, we click //Settings// and enter the location of //mAirList.exe// and the default data folder:
+First, we click //Settings// and enter the location of //mAirList.exe// (path and filename) and the default data folder:
-{{ :tutorials:other:pasted:20160322-111349.png?400 }}
+{{ :tutorials:other:pasted:20200617-125234.png?400 }}
 //Default license folder// can be left empty, as it is the same as the default data folder (where the ''license.lic'' file is located).
@@ Line 93: / Line 101: @@
 {{ :tutorials:other:pasted:20160322-112738.png?400 }}
-Note that we are using the first station as the configuration template this time -- the Multi Instance Manager will simply copy over the contents of the data folder to the data folder of the newly created instance. This is a very convenient way to duplicate the configuration to a new instance when all of your instances are configured in a similar way.
+Note that we are using the first station as the configuration template this time -- the Multi Instance Manager will simply copy over the contents from the initial data folder to the data folder of the newly created instance. This is a very convenient way to duplicate the configuration to a new instance when all of your instances are configured in a similar way.
 ==== Auto Start ====
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 When you run ''MultiInstanceManager.exe'' with the ''%%--%%autostart'' command line parameter, it will start all Auto Start instances automatically when it launches.
 ===== Manual Management of Instances =====
 Using the Multi Instance Manager is the preferred way of managing a multi-instance setup now.
-It is also possible to manage the instances manually if you prefer, which is described in this section. There are two way to do this:
+It is also possible to manage the instances manually if you prefer, which is described in this section. There are two ways to do this:
   - Use the ZIP distribution, or
@@ Line 126: / Line 136: @@
 There is another notable difference between the "setup" installations and "ZIP" installations:
-The normal setup installation store all mAirList configuration data in the system-wide ProgramData folder ''C:\ProgramData\mAirList\<version>'' -- this is the place Microsoft recommenends for all program-related configuration and data, as a normal user will not have write access to ''C:\Program Files'' anymore since Windows Vista.
+The normal setup installation stores all mAirList configuration data in the system-wide ProgramData folder ''C:\ProgramData\mAirList\<version>'' -- this is the place Microsoft recommends for all program-related configuration and data, as a normal user will not have write access to ''C:\Program Files'' anymore since Windows Vista.
 The ZIP distribution, however, stores the configuration directly inside the program folder. That means that you can have multiple mAirList installations side-by-side, each with a separate config, just by unpacking the ZIP distribution multiple times, or duplicating an existing program folder.
-(How can mAirList tell whether it is a ZIP distribution or not? In other words, how does mAirList tell whether the config should go to ''C:\Program Files'' or rather in to the program folder? It check if there is a folder named ''config'' in the same folder as ''mAirList.exe''. If there is, it assumes "ZIP-style" installation with config inside the program folder; if not, it will use ''C:\ProgramData''. Bottom line is, if you want to duplicate the program folder to make separate configurations, always make sure that there is a ''config'' subfolder inside the program folder. The ZIP distribution comes with an empty ''config'' folder for this purpose.)
+(How can mAirList tell whether it is a ZIP distribution or not? In other words, how does mAirList tell whether the config should go to ''C:\Program Files'' or rather in to the program folder? mAirList checks if there is a folder named ''config'' in the same folder as ''mAirList.exe''. If there is, it assumes "ZIP-style" installation with config inside the program folder; if not, it will use ''C:\ProgramData''. Bottom line is, if you want to duplicate the program folder to make separate configurations, always make sure that there is a ''config'' subfolder inside the program folder. The ZIP distribution comes with an empty ''config'' folder for this purpose.)
 So in order to install multiple mAirList instances using the ZIP distribution, simply unzip it to multiple locations. Or prepare the base configuration of the first instance, then make copies of that folder.
 ==== Option 2: Separate data folders ====