Deploy AirMedia Sender Applications to PCs

While PC users can download the AirMedia sender application for their operating system from an AirMedia device, IT departments can also deploy the AirMedia sender application to PCs across the enterprise.

Windows

The AirMedia Deployable application Windows installer is a Microsoft® Software Installer (.msi) file that provides the necessary control and flexibility for enterprise deployments.

The AirMedia Windows Deployable Application is available at present.crestron.com or from the corresponding AirMedia product page.

The Windows installer can be run using one of the following methods:

• Microsoft Group Policy for mass deployment
• Windows command line
• A Group Policy Object (GPO) set up by an administrator to script the chosen installation the next time the user logs into their Windows system. When the .msi file is executed without any command line options, the default behavior is as follows:
  1. Install the AirMedia sender application in its default location (C:\Program Files (x86)\Crestron\AirMediaV2)
  2. Install desktop and Start menu shortcut icons
  3. Start automatically
  4. After installation, the connection information entry dialog box is presented. The dialog box is presented for users installing the AirMedia sender application for the first time without using any command line options

To use the installer with command line options, the msiexec function must be used in conjunction with the .msi file as specified below.

The general format for running the installer is as follows:

msiexec /I AirMedia_Windows_<VERSION>_deployable.msi /qn <OPTIONS>

• /I: The command line switch that tells msiexec to install the msi (required)
• <VERSION>: The version number of the deployable .msi file
• /qn: The command line switch that suppresses .msi dialogs
• <OPTIONS>: One or more of the following options, separated by spaces:

  • INSTALLATIONMODE=--silent: Suppresses the launching of the AirMedia sender application after installation is complete (the default behavior is to launch the AirMedia sender application)
    When the option is silent and /qn is used, the installer will suppress any installer dialogs, and the AirMedia sender application will not be launched after installation

  • INSTALLPATH=<PATH>: Installs the AirMedia sender application in the specified path on the device rather than the default location

  • SHORTCUTOPTION=<OPTION>: Installs shortcuts according to one of four specified options:

    • --none: Installs no shortcuts

    • --desktop: Installs an application shortcut only to the desktop

    • --menu: Installs an application shortcut only to the Start menu

    • --all: Installs an application shortcut to both the desktop and the Start menu

Examples of .msi installation are as follows:

• msiexec /I AirMedia_Windows_3.0.1.254_deployable.msi/qn INSTALLATIONMODE=--silent SHORTCUTOPTION=--menu

  This command installs the AirMedia sender application silently, without any dialogs or notifications, with only the Start menu shortcut installed, and without the AirMedia sender application starting after installation.

• msiexec /I AirMedia_Windows_3.0.1.254_deployable.msi/qn INSTALLATIONMODE=--silent INSTALLPATH=D:\AirMedia

  This command installs the AirMedia sender application with desktop and Start menu shortcuts. It installs the application in a path not on the main Windows partition of the machine.

• msiexec /I AirMedia_Windows_3.0.1.254_deployable.msi

  This command may be used to observe the behavior of the installer as it installs the AirMedia sender application to validate its operation visually.

macOS

The macOS installer is a zip archive file that contains the AirMedia sender application as an executable to provide the ability to customize installations in enterprise deployments.

The deployable AirMedia sender application for macOS is available at present.crestron.com or from the corresponding product page.

Run the macOS installer in one of the following ways:

• Open the .zip archive file, and then run the installer file.
  After installation, the sender application appears in the macOS dock and the /Applications/Crestron folder, and the sender application is launched. Upon installation, users will have a quick connection experience with easy access to the AirMedia sender application.
• For administrators, open the .pkg file within the installer to silently install the AirMedia sender application on users’ machines. The sender application does not run after installation is completed, and the UI is not displayed. Inside the .pkg archive file is the InstallAirMedia.app bundle. The app bundle contains the required airmedia_osx_installer.pkg package file in the Content/Resources folder. On a terminal, issue the following command to run the installer:
  sudo installer –pkg airmedia_osx_installer.pkg -target /
  The AirMedia sender application can be installed silently (without user knowledge) on a macOS computer using Apple® policies, MDM, or other similar management tools. Options for installing desktop icons and specifying the installation location are not available due to the conventions of the macOS platform.

The deployable AirMedia sender application provides flexibility when managing AirMedia rooms with various levels of user access across multiple campus locations. To address various deployment scenarios, AirMedia provides the following methods to access a room’s connection parameters:

• Room Lists: The AirMedia sender application reads an XML file containing a list of AirMedia rooms, then it displays the rooms on the Connect screen as a list of AirMedia devices that are available for connection.

  NOTE: Room lists require a config.ini file and an XML file. For details on creating these files, refer to Deployment and Configuration Options.

• File Association: The AirMedia sender application is associated with .present files and room list files. Embed the .present files in meeting invitations or host them on a corporate website.
• Discovery: If the AirMedia devices and the user’s computer are on the same subnet, the AirMedia sender application locates these devices and presents them to the user. Crestron recommends this method if a room list or .present file is not used.
  
  In macOS (and iOS), the AirMedia sender applications are not required if multicast DNS and/or Bonjour are not blocked on the network where AirMedia receivers reside. Multicast DNS and Bonjour allow a list of compatible native mirroring devices to appear in a list natively provided by the OS. However, the list can also contain a large number of non‑Crestron discoverable gateways, making it difficult for users to search for and manage AirMedia devices. Additionally, users may not always be familiar with the procedure for connection via native mirroring. Crestron recommends using the AirMedia sender application for all connections from macOS and iOS.

NOTE: The AirMedia sender application must always be used with the AM‑100. The AM‑100 is not compatible with native device mirroring provided by macOS and iOS.

• Manual Entry: The AirMedia sender application allows the user to enter the host name or IP address of the AirMedia device.

Deployment and Configuration Options

When administrators deploy the AirMedia application to their organization’s devices, they have the option to deploy configured application settings and/or a room list to streamline the end user experience.

Room lists can be used to maintain a list of AirMedia receivers on the network that will appear within the AirMedia application. This list can be easily searched without the need to enter an IP address or host name.

The Application Configuration file (Windows only) allows administrators to configure settings without requiring the end user to do so.

To implement room lists, two files must be prepared: a configuration file (config.ini) and an XML room list.

Windows File Deployment

On Windows PCs, configuration files can be deployed for every user or only specific ones. The files should be placed in the following locations:

• All Users: C:\ProgramData\Crestron\AirMedia

• Specific Users: C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Crestron\AirMedia Windows

If these files are placed in both locations, the configuration and room list files in the User directory (AppData) will take precedence over the ProgramData directory. This allows for scenarios in which standard configurations are overwritten for specific users.

MacOS File Deployment

On macOS devices, the configuration files can be deployed to the following user directory:

/Users/USERNAME/Library/Containers/com.crestron.AirMedia2/Data/Library/Application Support/Crestron/AirMedia/Configure/

Configuration File (config.ini)

The config.ini file contains the location of the room list XML file. The file contains two items: the section (Crestron) and the key (XMLPath). An example of a config.ini file is shown below. Modify the path to reference the location of the room_list.xml file to be used.

[Crestron]
XMLPath=M:\config\airmedia\room_list.xml

When the AirMedia sender application starts, it attempts to read the file at the location specified by the XMLPath. Consider the following when specifying an XML path:

• Do not enclose the path in quotes.

• Environmental variables are not supported.

• When updates are necessary, a change applied to this file when it's administered locally or on the network will allow users quick access to the available AirMedia rooms.

• On Windows:

  • Local and network paths are allowed.

  • HTTP/HTTPS paths are allowed.

• On macOS:

  • Network paths are not allowed.

  • HTTP/HTTPS paths are allowed.

  • Certain local paths are allowed: Desktop, Documents, Applications, Downloads, Movies, Music, Pictures, Public or locally mapped cloud service directories such as the Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, or iCloud services.

Room List (XML File) for Windows and macOS

The room list file is an XML file that defines the devices and their connection parameters. The specifics of the XML file schema are defined in the table below.

Room List File Details

Example File

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<devices>
  <device>
    <name>Room 239</name>
    <address>192.168.0.184</address>
    <code>5885</code>
    </device>
  <device>
    <name>Room 240</name>
    <address>192.168.0.186</address>
  </device>
  <device>
    <name>Room 241</name>
    <address>192.168.0.186</address>
  </device>
</devices>

Application Configuration (XML File) for Windows

Application Configuration File (XML File) for Windows

Example File

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<settings>
  <startup>
    <persistentSessionDelegation>1</persistentSessionDelegation>
    <initial.install.setup>FIRST.INSTALL.PLACEHOLDER</initial.install.setup>
    <discovery.auto>true</discovery.auto>
    <peripheral.driver.virtual.display>false</peripheral.driver.virtual.display>
  </startup>
  <update>
    <auto>false</auto>
  </update>
</settings>

File Association for Windows and macOS

The .present files contain the parameters used to start a connection. A web server can host these files, or the files can be deployed to folders within the user’s computer. The installer makes the association.

The .present file uses the same format as the device section of the room list file.

To connect using file association, double-click a .present file to launch the AirMedia sender application. If prompted, enter the login code in the Login screen and select OK.

Discovery

If a room list file is not located when AirMedia opens, the AirMedia sender application scans the local subnet for connection devices. If only one device is located, the AirMedia sender application tries to connect to that device. If multiple devices are located, the AirMedia sender application displays a list of connection devices. Select a device from the list and select Connect.

Connect Screen (macOS)

Manual Entry

If the AirMedia sender application is unable to discover any devices, the user can manually enter the information.

From the Connect screen, enter the host name or IP address of the device in the search box and press Enter on the keyboard. If a login code is required on the target device, the Enter Code screen displays.

Manually Entering Device Information (macOS)

Custom URI Protocol

A custom web landing page may be built to accommodate an organization’s receivers. When launching an installed application in a browser, the client‑side script in the browser uses a custom protocol (crestron-airmedia) as defined by the DM Connections Method Specification. The rules for the custom protocol must follow the guidelines as defined by RFC 3986: URI Generic Syntax.

There are two options to define the URI format for launching the application (Crestron recommends the first option):

1. crestron-airmedia://receiver-address[?code=receiver-passcode]

2. crestron-airmedia:receiver-address[?code=receiver-passcode]

receiver-address is the host name or address of the AirMedia receiver, and receiver-passcode is the optional passcode parameter for authorizing the mirroring session.