The following are some of the more common questions that potential customers have asked our sales department.
Network Management & Control Why buy monitor and control software? How do I decide which one to buy?
About Crystal How long has Crystal been around? Who are some of your customers?
Architecture What kind of database do you use? Can I use an SQL database running on Linux? Why does Crystal use compiled executables for drivers instead of scripts or text files? I know that Crystal and QNX are highly reliable, but what if a driver crashes? If the GUI crashes does CrystalVision keep executing macros, protection switching, and logging?
Capabilities Can I monitor the system from home, my office? Can you control other systems through CrystalVision? Do you allow other systems to control CrystalVision? My company IS department buys all of our computer and network systems. Will QNX run on my hardware? Can CrystalVision communicate by means other than Ethernet? Can CrystalVision use secure VPNs to remotely connect? I need an unusual application for my monitor and control system.
Installation How long does it take to deliver the system?
Maintenance How long do we have free phone support? Can we write our own device drivers? Can I get a driver development kit for CrystalVision? Can I configure the screens using drag and drop? Does CrystalVision have a screen editor so I can make screen changes? I don't know any QNX or Unix commands. Will it be difficult to maintain my CrystalVision system? What type of support do you offer? If I have an emergency but don't have a support contract, am I out of luck?
Price How much does your system cost? Do I have to pay for a new device driver?
Increased efficiency. A monitor & control system gives you more accurate timing of events and increases the capabilities of your operators. For example, one large teleport customer of ours handled 3 times the number of monthly feeds with no increase in operations staff after installing their CrystalVision monitor and control system. Reduced costs. You get faster notification of equipment problems. It allows you to maintain current staffing levels even as your business increases. It reduces outages and down time which can lead to lost revenue. For example, one on our customers was able to quickly identify and correct a large number of problems after a devastating lightning strike. Flexibility. A robust monitor and control system can give you software protection switching, HPA power saver, smart router, and uplink power control. In other words, CrystalVision can present your numerous and varied devices as an integrated system rather than just monitoring and controlling individual pieces of equipment. How do I decide which one to buy? See an article titled, "How to Purchase an M&C System," written by our chairman, Earl J. Franklin. Also, "An Interview with the Chairman," provides good insight as well. How long has Crystal been around? Crystal was incorporated in 1986 and installed its first monitor and control software in 1988. We're been around long enough to watch monitor and control grow from a luxury to a necessity - and long enough to learn a lot about what our customers need. Who are some of your customers? Large teleports, small teleports, large TV Network facilities, large and small television stations, direct-to-home broadcasters, TT&C facilities, US military, corporations, and a few others with very custom requirements. Our current customer list makes a good case for purchasing our software, so we've made an entire section devoted to them on our web site. See our customer home page for more details. What kind of database do you use? In the interest of speed and real-time processing, CrystalVision does not use a database. Our system is message-based. Our ODBC interface is used to connect to a non real-time SQL database for detailed performance analysis. See database trending on the Product Features page for more details of our more advanced database capabilities. On a standard system, our space-delimited log file can be imported into a spreadsheet or database for analysis. Can I use an SQL database running on Linux? CrystalVision can contain an SQL/ODBC compliant database. It can also send data to any ODBC-compliant database, whether it runs on Linux, Solaris, AIX, HP-UX, Windows, and many more. QNX is a message-based micro-kernel operating system designed and produced in 1981 specifically for real-time high-reliability applications. CrystalVision exploits the QNX process priority facility to ensure that processes such as device drivers execute in real-time, the user interface executes in near real-time, and logging executes at a lower priority. See the QNX section of the Technical Overview for more detail. For monitor and control purposes, Windows is slow, unreliable, prone to viruses and hackers, frequently updated, and requires frequent rebooting. The only thing that Windows has to offer monitor and control is familiarity. We can provide this with a Windows user interface but your equipment remains connected to the much faster and more reliable QNX operating system. Why does Crystal use compiled executables for drivers instead of scripts or text files? Compiled executables are faster and much more functionally robust. They also offer higher-level features that scripts cannot such as transponder and satellite selection, and run and jog for all antenna types. I know that Crystal and QNX are highly reliable, but what if a driver crashes? If a driver crashes, your system will stay online and will remain fully functional. Each driver runs in its own protected memory space so other systems do not depend on it to stay alive and fully functional. See our software architecture for more detail. If the GUI crashes does CrystalVision keep executing macros, protection switching, and logging? Absolutely. Only the kernel knows that a GUI has crashed, but it doesn't do anything about it. Device drivers have no knowledge of a GUI going down. It is important to note that the GUI is the least reliable software element in CrystalVision. It runs at a lower priority than most other processes, so if the GUI starts hogging CPU cycles, only software modules such as logging are affected. CrystalVision controls virtually anything in the broadcast environment including TCP/IP, SNMP, contact closure, and data devices. See our list of device drivers that we have already written. This list doesn't include the hundreds of devices that we just haven't seen yet but can still control. Can I monitor the system from home or my office? Yes! You can monitor and control your system using a Windows® interface or using a web browser through dial-up, LAN or WAN. We can even let you see what the operator is doing. Can you control other systems through CrystalVision? Yes, if those systems allow it. Through SNMP connectivity and network management (NMS), we can control your other systems through a CrystalVision QNX computer. Do you allow other systems to control CrystalVision? Yes. Through SNMP connectivity, other systems can control CrystalVision (subject to its security constraints). My company IT department buys all of our computer and network systems. Will QNX run on my hardware? Check QNX's web site to see if your hardware will run QNX. Can CrystalVision communicate by means other than Ethernet? Yes. CrystalVision can communicate through leased-line and dial-up modems, TCP/IP networks, serial cables, satellite data channel, and microwave link. LANs can be Ethernet, token ring, or FDDI. Can CrystalVision use secure VPNs to remotely connect? Yes, in fact this is preferred. Regarding the Crystal site diversity option: if a completely unpredictable disaster (such as a terrorist attack) should incapacitate one of my sites, how would the other site know to switch? It depends on how you want to set up your diversity. One site is normally the "slave." As for what will trigger a site switch, you determine which factor(s) will cause this, i.e. the site can no longer communicate with the other site. I need an unusual application for my monitor and control system. Because of the CrystalVision message-based design flexibility, we can uniquely configure your system with many special requirements while using only well-tested, universal CrystalVision software modules. How long does it take to deliver the system? It depends on how large and complex your system is. Our typical delivery schedule is less than 90 days from the receipt of your purchase order. No. As part of our turnkey services, we want to see you sit back, relax, and watch the professionals install your custom monitor and control system quickly and efficiently. However, if you purchase our configuration package, you can make minor configuration changes and additions using drag-and-drop technology after installation is over. How long do we have free phone support? 90 days from the completion of installation. See our support page for support options and details. Can we write our own device drivers? No, but you can customize one of our drivers for any SNMP device. Can I get a driver development kit for CrystalVision? No. Our device drivers are written with strict C++ object oriented standards to ensure that your CrystalVision software stays as real-time and reliable as possible. Can I configure the screens using drag and drop? Yes - and remain online, too! You can reconfigure any CrystalVision custom or standard screen or menu, test it, and use it - all while CrystalVision is online and fully functional, without rebooting. You can do this screen configuration from your Windows® CrystalVision GUI or QNX CrystalVision GUI, and then propagate the new screen to other CrystalVision computer nodes. Each node begins using your new screen the very next time your modified screen is displayed on that node. See configuration package for more details. Does CrystalVision have a screen editor so I can make screen changes? Yes. We offer this option so that you can make changes to your screens and other parts of your system using our configuration package. We include a 3-day class with this package that will train your engineers how to properly modify your system. I don't know any QNX commands. Will it be difficult to maintain my CrystalVision system? With new CrystalVision functions and a point-and-click web setup package, we have virtually eliminated all QNX line commands. However, should the need arise, the QNX Korn shell command line is POSIX compliant and virtually identical to that of Unix systems, so your Unix guru will feel competently at home. What type of support do you offer? Besides our 90-day free phone support and unlimited software errors support, we offer 3 levels of extended support. One of them even provides free drivers and configuration. See our support plans for more details. If I have an emergency but don't have a support contract; am I out of luck? No. You can still contact us using this
form or
e-mail us at How much does your system cost? It depends, of course, on the number of devices and locations you have, as well as the options that you choose. All of our systems are custom-configured, so it's difficult to give a blanket answer. If you're serious enough to be thinking of price, we suggest that you call us and let us help you design your system and provide you with a budgetary quote. Do I have to pay for a new device driver? It depends on your support plan. Drivers from the CrystalLibrary are generally fixed price or included with support contract). Rarely there are occasions when a piece of equipment is very unusual and not likely to be used by any other customer. In this case, we will charge for writing its driver. |
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How to Purchase Network Management & Control Need some advice on what to look for in a network management and control system?
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Monitor & Control Get an excellent background of M&C and what factors to consider when purchasing today.
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Configuration Package Can I save money by reconfiguring my system myself?
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Technical Overview I want some more detail about why your system is designed this way.
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