Tutorial - Cinesync® review session

Summary

This tutorial is targeting organisations in the media industry performing daily review session using Cinesync® (https://cinesync.com).

Wishing to:

• Upload a local review session, containing movies and file sequences to the cloud for distribution, or using existing on-prem file server.

• Distribute review session to participants, using accelerated encrypted file transfers.

• Get progress notifications, through email.

• Monitor and manage review session distribution.

• (Additional) Through ftrack, automise distribution of a review session, to collaborators.

This tutorial is a complete walkthrough covering:

• Setting up accsyn in the cloud or on-prem.

• Sending review session files to collaborators, using the accsyn desktop app.

• Monitor and control distribution of files.

• (Additional) Automated distribution of a review session through ftrack®, using the accsyn Python API.

Notes: 

• In this tutorial we are only covering setting up a backup behaviour, accsyn can also act as a replacement of your current FTP server and many other things, please visit accsyn.com for full feature specifications.

Installing and configuring accsyn

Cloud server

We refer to our cloud server tutorial for instructions on how to setup an accsyn server in the cloud,:

https://support.accsyn.com/tutorial-cloud-file-server

On-prem server

You can also setup Accsyn on-prem (standard), either exposing your project storage directly or running separate in DMZ with local intermediate storage.  

Note: running in DMZ  should be interpreted as a cloud server throughout this document, as media first would have to be transferred to the DMZ server for further distribution. 

The following guide is a short summary of the installation process described in detail here: Accsyn Admin Manual.

• Open https://customer.accsyn.com in your web browser.

• Register your using your email (admin@company.com), active account and launch a new accsyn domain @ https://<your-domain>.accsyn.com.  In this tutorial we will use company(.accsyn.com).

• Follow the guide to initialise domain. Hint: Read through the admin tour when offered, it gives insight into the architecture of accsyn and the terms used/names of entities.

• Install server; when the guide instructs you to install the accsyn daemon, download and install it on your current file transfer on-prem server ("alpha"). Pick a server that has access to your storage, or a the part of your storage that you want to expose to accsyn.

• Network; the guide will ask you to configure your firewall, add NAT port forwards 45190-45210 (tcp) to file transfer server "alpha". Note that accsyn daemon DOES NOT listen to any ports 24/7, it will only start a listening process during file transfer init, software firewalled to accept incoming connections from remote client WAN IP only. For more information, please refer to Accsyn Security Whitepaper.

• Root share; Browse to your storage, were project store resides. In this tutorial, we assume server is running Windows and have project data accessible/mounted at D:\projects (Linux path /mnt/projects).  In this tutorial, we will name the root share: accsynstorage.

• Finish installation.

You now possess a fully functional file sharing service that can act as an replacement for example a FTP server.

Installing and launching the accsyn desktop app

Next, we are going to install the accsyn desktop for transmitting review files and monitoring:

Note: if you installed accsyn on-prem, the desktop app is already supplied with the daemon installer and you can skip these steps.

1. Logon to accsyn as an administrator.

2. Go to Get app and download the desktop app.

3. Install the desktop app, it will launch automatically after the installation as completed.

4. Login to accsyn using your credentials.

Sending a review session to multiple participants using the accsyn desktop app.

With accsyn installed, we are now ready to distribute the review session. If running server in the cloud or in DMZ, this operation will be a "transmit" within Accsyn - files will first be uploaded to the server and then sent out as multiple jobs to each participant. If you have exposed the storage were files are located, no upload will be needed and files will be sent out directly to participants.

In this tutorial, we assume two shots are going to be reviewed, each consisting of a high res file sequence and a proxy movie:

P:\projects\theproject\_REVIEW_MEDIA\2020-10-02

  theproject_shot010_v003\theproject_shot010_v003.####.exr

  theproject_shot010_v003.mp4

  theproject_shot010_v006\theproject_shot020_v006.####.exr

  theproject_shot020_v006.mp4

1. Drag-n-drop the files ontop of accsyn.

2. On the right hand side, click the [ INVITE ] button.

3. Enter the email address of first participant.

4. To arrange files on server, per project. We want to create folder and a share, so we easily can remove the review media when project is done. On destination side, tick "Browse" option.

5. Select root share accsynstorage and then create a folder "theproject" if it does not exist.

6. Enter the folder and then click [ Create share ] button. Keep the name ("theproject") and create the share.

7. The share will be switched to, create a subfolder for this particular review and enter it. We have now set the intermediate destination on server from were review files will be distributed.

8. No we add the rest of the recipients, click [+ ADD] button and then invite the second participant.

9.  We want to prioritise so the previews arrives first, click [ Add to package ] button.

10. Select the mp4 files and apply High priority from the tasks toolbar dropdown. They should be marked with a red "High" label.

11. (Optionally) Give the review job a name, for example "theproject-review-20.10.07". Makes it easier to get an overview if many simultaneous jobs are queued up.

12. Click [ Transmit ] button.

Files will first be uploaded to cloud server and then two separate delivery jobs will be sent to the two participants. 

Note: Make sure you keep desktop app running until upload has finished, otherwise delivery will be interrupted.

Monitoring and managing review transfers using the accsyn desktop app

The accsyn desktop app can be installed on a second computer for monitoring and modifications of review session transfer jobs.

Installing desktop app

1. Logon to <yourdomain>.accsyn.com.

2. Go to Get app page.

3. Choose the download matching your operating system.

4. Install the app, it will launch after install is complete.

Monitoring transfer jobs

1. Logon to accsyn desktop app.

2. In the lower part of the accsyn GUI, ongoing transfers for your entire domain is listed beneath the "All transfers" tab.

3. (Cloud server setup) Jobs with names ending with "-upload" is the pre job that upload the review session files to cloud server. Source and destination gives you indiction on were the packages is heading.

4. Transfers in motion have a green flashing arrow next to it. Double click a job or click the plus (+) sign to expand it and display the files contained within transfer.

5. Go to the "Finished" tab to find completed jobs.

Send review session to an additional recipient

In the case you forgot to send out review session files to an additional recipient, or need to add more recipients:

1. Install and logon to the accsyn desktop app.

2. (Cloud server setup) Make sure the upload to server finishes.

3. On the left hand hand, go to the project share (theproject).

4. Browse and select the review session files.

5. On the right hand side, select the user by email or invite a new.

6. Click [ Send ] to initiate transfer.

Cancel a review session transfer

1. Install and logon to the accsyn desktop app.

2. Locate the transfer jobs that are affected, right click and choose Abort.

3. Go to Finished tab, select the jobs and permanently remove them so user cannot find and manually resume: right click and choose [ Purge ].

Automated review session transfer with ftrack

This automated approach, allows you to run an Action in ftrack media project management tool that distribute the Cinesync review media using accsyn.

Get ftrack

ftrack is a popular project management tool within the media industry, with a user friendly simple yet powerful user interface. For more information, visit: https://ftrack.com.

Install Python

In this tutorial, we run the script with Python 3. Python 2 can be used as well but is deprecated.

1. Logon to the server as an administrator.

2. Download and install Python 3 (https://www.python.org/downloads/), record install location for later.

3. Download Pip installer (get-pip.py) from https://pip.pypa.io/en/stable/installing/.

4. Install Pip, open a DOS prompt were you downloaded the installer and run "<path to Python 3 install location>\python get-pip.py".

Install ftrack Python API and dependencies

1. Open a DOS prompt and run  <path to Python 3 install location>\Scripts\pip install ftrack-python-api.

Install accsyn Python API and dependencies

2. Open a DOS prompt and run  <path to Python 3 install location>\Scripts\pip install requests accsyn-python-api.

Getting boilerplate ftrack action script

We provide a boilerplate Python 3 script at our GitHub: https://github.com/accsyn/ftrack-review-distribute. Download it and place locally, assuming your username is "admin": "C:\Users\Admin\Documents\action.py". 

Modifying action script

Cloud server setup

1. Make sure you are running accsyn on the same computer as you intend to run the ftrack action script, or another computer having access to the files referenced within ftrack.

2. Logon to accsyn and copy the client ID, it can be found within settings (gearwheel icon in upper right corner), at the bottom of page.

3. Open action.py in a text editor and make sure CLOUD_SERVER is set to True.

4. Paste the client id within the quotes @  line 53, where ACCSYN_CLIENT_ID variable is defined.

5. (Optional) Customise your file extensions for previews and file sequences @ line 42 & 43.

On-prem server setup

In case you are exposing your project data directly through an on-prem accsyn server, no intermediate cloud storage is needed:

1. Open action.py in a text editor and make sure CLOUD_SERVER is set to False.

2. (Optional) Customise your file extensions for previews and file sequences @ line 42 & 43.

Running action script

Before you can run the script, environment variables has to be set for ftrack and accsyn API:s to be able to authenticate:

1. accsyn; set ACCSYN_DOMAIN to the name of your accsyn domain.

2. accsyn; set ACCSYN_API_USER to the name of the user you want to authenticate as. Hint: invite a separate employee account for this, to prevent exposing your private API key within scripting environment.

3. accsyn; set ACCSYN_API_KEY to the value obtained from accsyn, beneath account profile page.

4. ftrack; set FTRACK_SERVER to https://<your ftrack server>.ftrackapp.com. 

5. ftrack; set FTRACK_API_USER to the username of a ftrack user.

6. ftrack; create an API KEY for this, with role granting access to the project(s) that will be accessed by action. set FTRACK_API_KEY to this key value.

Your are now all set up, open up a shell and run the following command within the folder you saved action.py (C:\Users\Admin\Documents):

python3 action.py

Testing action

1. Make sure you have created a review session from a version with a at least one published component within a storage scenario location, matching either preview or sequence file extension configured in action script.

2. Also make sure review session has at least on collaborator, with a valid email address.

3. Open the review session in ftrack and click the [ Actions ] button.

4. An action named "ARSD" / "accsyn review session distribute" should be listed, select it.

5. I dialog box appears with instructions, double check the recipients and intermediate directory. Click [ Submit ] to run it.

6. In accsyn, a transfer job should now appear, containing the files within versions.

7. (Cloud server) After review session has finished uploading, one job should be spawn targeted each review session collaborator. Follow the progress of these jobs and make sure they finish before you launch the Cinesync review session.

Hint: If something went wrong or files are missing, check the shell for log output from action script.

Conclusion

Using accsyn for distributing review session files is a very effective and secure way of getting your work distributed to collaborators. By automisation with the accsyn Python API, the entire process can be done with a few mouse clicks within your favourite project management tool.