Using Nomad v.2

Nomad is a utility that can help you gather and copy source media and proxy files from EVO in preparation for remote/work-from-home offline editing.

EVO version 7.0.1+ provides support for an updated Nomad client. If you'd like to upgrade from EVO v.6, see this article: Can my EVO be upgraded to EVO OS v.7?

You can also see Nomad in action in these videos:

Nomad Remote Video Editing Tutorial 

Remote Video Editing with SNS Nomad and Adobe Premiere Pro

Contents

• Prior to using Nomad
• Getting Started
• VPN Connections
• Using VPN Accelerator
• Transcode Accelerator
• Nomad Down & Remote EVO
• Using Your Files
• Nomad Delta
• Active Transfers
• Global Settings

Prior to using Nomad

Nomad was created using the ShareBrowser public API so the following must first be verified:

• Minimum EVO component version requirements: ShareBrowser 6.1.5, Slingshot 1.5
• Minimum system requirements: M-series (ARM), MacOS 10.14, Windows 10 Professional

Getting Started

Download Nomad from here.

Run Nomad on a Mac or Windows machine that has a connection to EVO, whether local or VPN.

VPN Connections (Shield Icon)

The Shield icon accesses your VPN Connections. Nomad requires the workstation have access to EVO, whether the connection is remote or local. If SNS Cloud VPN is used to access EVO, the connection is simplified here.

Note: an existing VPN client application may still be used; however, only one client configuration should be attempted (use either standalone client or the integrated Nomad client, not both).

1. Click the Shield icon, and then click the + (plus sign) at the bottom left to configure your VPN client connection.
2. Browse to your workstation's VPN client configuration file (example: client29.conf), originally exported from your VPN Dashboard (example: 123456.snsevo.com).
3. Following import, the client connects, and the VPN server name and client address are displayed.
4. Click Peers to see any other VPN clients, including EVO(s), as well as their status for VPN acceleration. You can use the Enable or Remove buttons to manage active configurations. Use the EVO VPN address to log in when working from a remote location.

Note: You only need a VPN connection if you are working remotely and need to connect to your EVO network. You do not need a VPN connection to use the Transcode Accelerator locally.

Using VPN Accelerator (EVO < v.7.1.1)

VPN acceleration requires an EVO that is connected to SNS Cloud VPN. EVO 7.1.1 includes VPN Acceleration by default. 

For EVO 7.1.0, the VPN Accelerator plugin must be installed.

To install the plugin, log in to EVO Administration and click the support (life raft) icon at the top right of the page:

1. Click on ‘OS DATA’.
2. Scroll down to the ‘Installed plug-ins’ card.
3. Locate the three-dot menu at the top right of the card, click it and select ‘Install plug-in’.
4. Upload the plug-in and accept the license agreement.

Once the plugin is installed, log out of the interface to be redirected to the splash page (#/splash).

Locate and log in at the VPN Accelerator card, and then enter the EVO Administration username and password. A list of VPN-connected clients and their status will be displayed.

It should now be possible to enable an accelerated connection to EVO from the workstation's Nomad application, or from within the plug-in on EVO by clicking Preferences to adjust peer settings. Select the peer(s) you wish to connect, and then click Save. After a few moments the Status should show Direct.

Transcode Accelerator

The Transcode Accelerator (TCA) is accessed via the Monitor with a Play Button icon. This is a standalone offload engine designed to process transcode jobs.

Crucial Operation Note: You do not need to be connected to a VPN, and you do not need to log in to the Remote EVO interface to enable or use the Transcode Accelerator.

• Enable/Disable TCA Offload Engine: Toggle the engine on or off directly from this page.
• Choose TCA Jobs Folder: Select the local or mounted directory where TCA will look for and process jobs.
• Job Monitoring: When active, this page will display the current status of the TCA API, the connected EVO (e.g., Registered with EVO-123456.local), the total number of jobs found, and a live list of jobs currently in progress or completed.

Nomad Down & Remote EVO

The Parachute icon accesses Nomad Down, which is used to gather and copy source media, proxy files, or bins from EVO to your local machine.

1. Nomad Down Login

Upon clicking the Parachute icon, you are presented with the Nomad Down login screen. Enter your EVO connection details:

• IP Address - Enter the EVO  address or hostname (e.g., 192.168.1.25)
• Username - Enter the name of a user with permissions granted for shares at the IP address
• Password - Enter the user password

2. Remote EVO

After successful login, the interface transitions to the Remote EVO screen. Here, you define what you want to download:

• Import a Premiere Project, a directory, or a ShareBrowser bin by clicking on the Premiere Project (Pr) icon, Folder icon, or ShareBrowser Bin (Box) icon, browsing to the location, and then setting the Local Destination (Monitor icon) where the files will be saved.
• Ensure all media is accessible by the workstation (EVO shares are mounted).
• Content on EVO must already be indexed in order for Nomad to locate it.
• Click Start. Nomad will then scan the specified Premiere project, directory or ShareBrowser bin for all matches according to the selected criteria. Depending on the size of the job requested, this process may take several minutes.

3. Job Settings

Before the job is actually run, you can adjust how files are handled by clicking the Gear icon (Settings) located at the bottom left of the Remote EVO screen. 

(Note: These are specific to Nomad Down jobs and are separate from the Global Settings).

• Proxy skip list: For any file type that meets these criteria, enter its extension in the box. If multiple file types are specified, these should be comma-separated with no dots or spaces (e.g., mxf,wav,mp3).
• Download other files: (Checked by default) Will tell Nomad to download the original file if no proxy is found for it. If unchecked, Nomad will only gather the proxies it finds, and will not copy any original files. (Note: When using Edit-Ready Proxies, Nomad will attempt to download Edit-Ready Proxies first, then ShareBrowser Preview files, before following this checkbox).
• Use Original Extension: (Checked by default) Will rename the proxy file according to its original extension. This can ease relinking, since the NLE will expect the path to the original file to match.
• Add "_Proxy" suffix to proxy files: Will add the distinction to the imported filename so a downloaded proxy version isn't difficult to distinguish from original media by name alone.
• Overwrite local files: (Unchecked by default) If the same file names chosen for copy already exist in the destination folder, checking this box will instruct Nomad to replace them with the new copies.
• Proxy Options: Choose whether Nomad prefers preview proxies, ignores preview proxies, or ignores edit proxies when attempting a download.

4. Review and Start Job

Review the proposed job output, which lists the expected output of each operation, the Source Path, Destination Path, and the availability of Preview/Edit Proxies for each File ID. Files listed in red are not currently accessible (offline). Edit the settings if needed (click Cancel, then click the gear); otherwise, click Start Job to begin the import tasks and confirm all intended files are received.

Note the above example includes a file that was not indexed, therefore showing as "offline" during review, and skipped (with a helpful question) during download.

Using your files

Once your materials have been copied, the output can be delivered to edit machines anywhere for offline editing using their existing projects. Editors can render to local storage, or if they have a VPN connection, directly back to EVO.

If you are using the proxies in an existing project, you should be able to attach them as proxies or re-link them as necessary in your NLE.

In Adobe Premiere Pro specifically, you can open the project while the files are online and attach the local preview proxies as proxy files. This will allow you to switch between high resolution media and proxy files.

Nomad Delta

The Delta icon (Δ) accesses Nomad Delta, which can be used to compare the original project to the modified offline version and export the updated project back to EVO, complete with links to the original media.

1. When you're finished working with an offline Premiere project, and would like to update it on EVO, save the changes to your local system first.
2. Click the Delta symbol (Δ) in Nomad.
3. Select the Original Project (online project), the New Project (offline project), and the Remote Destination to send the updated project back to EVO, with online media links already in place.
4. Click Start when ready to upload.
5. Locate the new project on the remote destination in the user-named folder.

Active Transfers

At the bottom left of the application, clicking the Pie Chart icon pops open a sidebar. This panel displays your active transfers, allowing you to monitor the real-time progress of jobs initiated via Nomad Down or Nomad Delta.

Global Settings

At the bottom left of the application, below the Pie Chart, is a Question Mark (?) icon. Clicking this opens the Global Settings for the Nomad application.

Here you can:

• Download Logs: Export application logs for troubleshooting.
• Web Help: Access online support documentation.
• Set logging level: Adjust the diagnostic logging level and click Set Level.
• Cert options: Manage HTTPS/SSL certificate and verification options.
• Hosts file: Add a new entry to your system's hosts file by entering a Host IP and Hostname, then clicking Save Host.