Centralized configuration file for MxMC (Mac users)

ManagementCenter
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In large installations, when MxManagementCenter needs to be installed on multiple computers, system administrators could find convenient to have a centralized configuration file; changes in the centralized configuration file - say shared on a NAS - can be easily rolled out to all the users without need for accessing individual machines.

This article will guide you through the configuration of MxMC in Mac environment. For Windows environment please refer to this article.

MxMC, like many applications, supports some start parameters that allow for executing specific actions when the software is launched. Our recommendation is to familiarize with the start parameters:

  1. Press CMD + Space to open the Finder and type Terminal to open the Terminal.
  2. Type the following command to display the options offered by MxMC:

./Applications/MxManagementCenter.app/Contents/MacOS/MxManagementCenter -h

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To start MxMC with a specific configuration file, you have to create a shell script that contains the command to run MxMC and the additional parameters. Finally the shell script should be turned into an Application so that the user can find it in the Doc and start it with a simple click of the mouse. Here is how to do it:

  1. Copy the text below into a text file and save it as “appify” (no extension) under /usr/local/bin (it requires root privileges).
    Note: This step will simplify the process of turning a custom script into a OSX app.
    #!/usr/bin/env bash
    	
    APPNAME=${2:-$(basename "${1}" '.sh')};
    DIR="${APPNAME}.app/Contents/MacOS";

    if [ -a "${APPNAME}.app" ]; then
    	echo "${PWD}/${APPNAME}.app already exists :(";
    	exit 1;
    fi;

    mkdir -p "${DIR}";
    cp "${1}" "${DIR}/${APPNAME}";
    chmod +x "${DIR}/${APPNAME}";

    echo "${PWD}/$APPNAME.app";

  1. Open the Terminal and type the following command (it requires root privileges) to give the script executable rights:

    sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/appify

  2. Copy the text below into a text file and save it as “StartMxMC.sh” on your desktop.

    #!/bin/bash
    	
    /Applications/MxManagementCenter.app/Contents/MacOS/MxManagementCenter --import "path/of/configuration/file.interchange"

Please make sure to replace “path/of/configuration/file.exchange” with the real path and the real name of your configuration file.

  1. Open the Terminal and type the following command to give the script executable rights:

    chmod +x ~/Desktop/StartMxMC.sh

  2. Open the terminal and type the following command to turn your script into a real app:

    appify ~/Desktop/StartMxMC.sh "MxManagementCenter"

The application file will be saved under the home directory of the current user.
You can move it to the desktop or even in the Doc.

Notes:

  • All the changes made by the user will be saved on a local project data file and will be reverted to the master project data file after the software is re-launched if the --import parameter is used.

  • Remember that the view being displaed in MxMC when the project data file is saved will be loaded when this file is imported using the --import parameter. It is best to make sure that a neutral view is being displayed before saving the project data file. This could be a camera that everyone is allowed to view or load a company logo as an Info-page for a local camera and display that before saving the project.

  • By using the -q parameter a “quiet” import will be done without any dialogs and go directly to the login screen. It is best to use this when users have been setup with different permissions.