IT Infrastructure Management Issues

The following information may be required by Network Administrators before a ONELAN Net-Top-Box (NTB) digital signage player is installed on the network. It covers the following issues:

Installation
Access
Security
Data Backup and Recovery
Maintenance

Installation

The NTB is a network appliance, not a software-only solution.
It is sold via a network of independent dealers who have their own contractual obligations with their customers. Most dealers will install the NTB and perform basic configuration.
The NTB will try to use DHCP to get itself onto the network so management is required in the case that a static IP address is needed.
The NTB will need to access the Internet for content such as RSS newsfeeds but there may be a firewall or proxy server blocking it, in which case the firewall must be configured to allow the NTB through and/or the NTB must be configured to direct its request through the proxy. Note that the NTB does not support Windows NTLM authentication. If the proxy is a Windows ISA server then it must be configured to allow the NTB through using either "Basic" or "Digest" authentication.

Access

Access to the NTB is via one of four methods:

A web-browser, given the IP address, a user name and password. This is the normal method of managing the device.
An FTP client, given the above, for uploading content onto the device.
Secure Shell (SSH), given the IP address and root password. Most users do not require this.
A keyboard, given the maintenance user name and password, for resetting a misconfigured device.

Secure Access

The NTB displays its IP address during boot-up and we publish the default user names and passwords so it is essential that these are changed as soon as possible.
We only give out the master password on request and over the phone.
The maintenance password cannot be changed and, given a keyboard and this password, it is possible to reset other security settings to the factory defaults so physical access to the NTB should be restricted.
The NTB firewall can be used to block unauthorised IP addresses from logging into the NTB.
The FTP service can be disabled (although this makes uploading content more cumbersome).
The HTTP service can be switched to HTTPS and all port-service allocations can also be changed to make network snooping more difficult.

Security

The NTB runs on a Linux Fedora Core 4 operating system that has been heavily customised by us to meet our security needs and to remain stable under 24/7 operation.
Since the vast majority of software viruses are designed to attack weaknesses in the Windows operating system, they cannot attack an NTB.
In almost every case the user has no need to work with a NTB at the operating system level.
Users are advised to discuss their requirements with us rather than attempt to add any hardware or software to the device.
We release free software updates about four times a year and users are encouraged to keep their NTB up-to-date. These updates may include new features, bug fixes and security updates for the operating system.
ONELAN has a security policy document that is available under a non-disclosure agreement. The policy includes the results of NESSUS scans which prove that the NTB is a very secure device. This has already made the NTB acceptable to a number of Banks, Universities and the Military.

Data Backup and Recovery

The disk drive and cooling fans are the only moving parts on the NTB and the NTB will shut itself down if the disk temperature exceeds a safe limit.
The disk could, however, become corrupt or damaged through rough handling, strong electro-magnetic fields or normal wear and tear.
In the event of a disk failure or corruption the data will be lost and the unit must be returned to ONELAN for repairs. We always assume that the data was backed up and do not attempt to recover it. We load the repaired unit with the latest software before returning it.

The NTB can be backed up by either making it publish itself as a Channel on an FTP server or by exporting the content as Layout Package zip files. The data is recovered by subscribing to the Channel or importing the Layout Packages respectively.

Maintenance

The NTB ships with a one-year return-to-base warranty.
An additional two years warranty can be purchased and an advance replacement service is also available, the terms of which are that ONELAN will ship a new, or nearly new, unit to replace a faulty unit if the fault could not be resolved over the phone. If reported before 12:00 on a normal work day, the replacement will be shipped the same day otherwise it will be shipped the next working day.
We do not collect returns or offer any other maintenance service but such services may be available from your dealer.