Configure SMPTE ST 2110 input

Limitations and Considerations for ST2110 and PTP

The following limitations apply to the current version:

• ST 2110 streams are carried over RTP. RTP header extension is not supported and should be turned off on the source, as described here: https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc3550#section-5.3.1 (opens in a new tab).

• PTP domain of value 0 is the only domain supported. A workaround is to manually set the value in a file.

• ST 2110 support is limited to HD resolutions.

Configure SDP files on MK.IO Beam

ST 2110 can be configured using SDP files on the Input tab of the Live Encoder component (see Configure an SMPTE ST 2110 input).

The SDP files can be entered either as:

• A URL where the SDP files can be retrieved from.
• A path to the location of the file stored on the server:
  • On the host, the SDP file(s) need to be in the /var/appliance/assets directory.
  • When configuring the Encode service, use this directory to specify the SDP file location.

SDP files can be transferred to the server either by SSH or by uploading via the UI.

If the Asset Management feature is enabled, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the Asset Management > Assets page.

2. Click Add to add a new asset.

3. Select the SDP file, then check the Protect the Asset when it is uploaded checkbox.

4. Click Start Upload to upload it.

If the Asset Management feature is not enabled, follow these steps:

1. Copy the files to the server via SCP. For example, using Mobaxterm:

   scp /cygdrive/c/sdp-2110-20.sdp mfeng@192.168.1.1:/tmp

2. Connect to the unit via SSH and copy the files to /var/appliance/assets:

   sudo mv /tmp/sdp-2110-20.sdp /var/appliance/assets

After copying over the SDP file, configure it on the Live Encoding service user interface using the following path: /var/appliance/assets/sdp-2110-20.sdp

Configure PTP for ST 2110

Set the PTP interface and domain

PTP interface configuration is under the System Settings page.

• Navigate to the Servers view.
• Click the Details button to display the server information.
• Go to the System Settings tab.
• Under Time sources, select the PTP tab.
• Set Interface to the network interface which will connect to the PTP Grand Master.
• Set Domain number to the required PTP domain.

If the system time source is not set to PTP, click the Make active button to set this.

Confirm all changes by clicking on Confirm, then click the Save button at the bottom of the page to save the changes.

Checking PTP operation

How to check that PTP services are running

To check the p4p4l service:

systemctl status ptp4l.service

The output from this command should show that the service is loaded and active, for example:

ptp4l.service - Precision Time Protocol (PTP) service
Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/ptp4l.service; enabled; 
vendor preset: disabled)
Active: active (running) since

To check the phc2sys service:

systemctl status phc2sys.service

The output from this command should show that the service is loaded and active, for example:

phc2sys.service - Synchronize system clock or PTP hardware clock (PHC) 
Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/phc2sys.service; enabled; 
vendor preset: disabled) 
Active: active (running) since

How to check the PTP Grand Master

Run the pmc tool to check the status of the PTP grand master. In the example below, PTP domain 0 is used (-d 0). Modify the “-d” option to specify a different PTP domain.

sudo pmc -u -b 0 -d 0 'GET TIME\_STATUS\_NP'

The text gmPresent true confirms that the grand master is detected, for example:

    sending: GET TIME_STATUS_NP
      043f72.fffe.ff60cb-0 seq 0 RESPONSE MANAGEMENT TIME_STATUS_NP
             master_offset 13 
             ingress_time 1620380188201784144 
             cumulativeScaledRateOffset +0.000000000 
             scaledLastGmPhaseChange 0 
             gmTimeBaseIndicator 0 lastGmPhaseChange 0x0000'0000000000000000.0000 
    gmPresent true 
             gmIdentity b8599f.fffe.60ffc8