PowerLog Capture v4 Software Update Information

You can get the latest software updates as well as Technical Support by visiting the P Squared Website at http://www.psquared.net/support/ or the P Squared Forum at 
http://forum.psquared.net/

v4.0.39
Fixed an error where PowerLog would crash after opening the Disk Space Calculator and then closing PowerLog.

Fixed error whereby the silence detection threshold in seconds was being misreported in email alerts. 

Fixed erroneous messages that appeared when entering silence detection threshold values in the settings window.

Fixed a discrepancy between the silence threshold value in the settings window and the .ini file.

Fixed an error where the application would crash on Windows 7 when stopping a Logger or closing the main window.

v4.0.38

The logic used to detect if the Log Processor is already running has been improved.

v4.0.37

The format of the e-mail notifications has been altered to make it easier to see the important information.

The backup and restore processes have been improved when running under Windows Vista.

The default location for the Powerlog Directory is now C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\P Squared\Powerlog v4\Directory as this is more suitable for Vista users.

There is now a registry key option available to control the level of errors that the Log Processor will handle silently before notifying the user.

Powerlog Capture now logs more information if it cannot run the Log Processor.

The following issues have been fixed:
•	the Disk Space Calculation for mp3 files was incorrect and was reporting that it would use more disk space than it actually needs.
•	The options to control whether the Client could alter Log Periods have been removed as the feature was never implemented in the current Powerlog Client
•	Powerlog Capture was producing excess Debug information.

(PSQReference: SVN)

v4.0.36

Windows Vista Support: This version has been designed to also run on Windows Vista, but testing is still being carried out. For more information about Vista Compatibilty please visit http://support.psquared.net/softsupport.htm

v4.0.35

Changes to some debugging info generated when processing audio buffers prior to writing them to log files.

The following issues have been fixed:
•	Some emails would be delivered with corruption in them making them harder to read. 

v4.0.34

Some slight tweaks to the Log Processor preparation process.

The following issues have been fixed:
•	Capture would not start when running on a system using a timezone East of GMT. 

v4.0.33

The following issues have been fixed:
•	License name did not update correctly when the license details where changed without a restart.
•	Support File generator did not include the PowerLog.ini or PowerLog.dat file.
•	Log Processor preparation could cause occaisional short files.  The preparation process has been streamlined to avoid this.

v4.0.32

The following issues have been fixed:
•	Certain combinations of mp3 archive formats caused the Log Processor to exit.

v4.0.31

The following issues have been fixed:
•	Hardware lines did not appear in the add/edit log wizard.
•	Using mp3 as the production format could cause PowerLog to exit.
•	Some keyboard focus issues in the main setup wizard.

v4.0.29

No changes.  Re-built to match Client.

v4.0.28

Re-coded some parts of the system to remove dependancy on VB5 runtimes as these are no longer shipped by Microsoft as standard with Windows 2003 Server.

The following issues have been fixed:
•	Poor audio quality when converting between non-divisible sample rates (eg: 44.1k and 48k)
•	Standardised many of the terms used to refer to different types of marks.

v4.0.25

No changes.  Re-built to match Client.

v4.0.22

More information is presented on the error window when the Log Processor has a problem with a corrupt file.  The extra information allows for better diagnoses of the problem.

The following issues have been fixed:
•	When setup up hardware line descriptions the focus would always jump back to line 1 on grid 1 when you finish editing.  It now stays on the line you were editing.
•	Unable to edit anything other than the current hardware line when using the mouse to move from one grid to the other.
•	The setup wizard and consequently the program could get hung in memory if you cancelled it.
•	The Log Processor still said "Preparing Lists" while it was performing delete operations.

v4.0.21

The "DLS Text" field on the logger ui is now a generic "Text" field and will show the latest Radioscape DLS or serial message received.

The following issues have been fixed:
•	Log Processor would show an error message if Capture managed to launch it twice when it should just exit silently.   
•	Serial messages that used a service ID with spaces at the start or end were not logged properly.
•	Serial messages that were open at the top of the hour were not closed properly in the next hour.  This led to severe speed issues in the Client.
•	Occaisonally when the Log Processor was writing down to a WMA file Capture would hang for between 5 and 15 seconds.  This resulted in short file warnings.
•	If you were monitoring the loggers and then went into General Settings and pressed OK or Apply the monitoring would turn off.  You did not have to alter any monitoring settings for this to happen.
•	When downgrading a license resulted in loss of logs, each restart would reduce the log count by one and then hang.  This kept happening until the number of channels being logged was within the number allowed by the license.

v4.0.19

Removed the strict ordering of Log Processor commandline parameters.  The only resriction now is that if a specific registry path is specified it must be at the end of the command line.

The segment prepare times have been altered to reduce system load.  Previously they all loggers prepared their next segment at the same time.  They are now staggered.

The following issues have been fixed:
•	Log Processor would not load logs properly when using multiple profiles on the Gatherer.
•	Log Processor was unable to run two instances side by side when running from different log lists.

v4.0.17

Some internal changes to make future expansion easier.

The following issues have been fixed:
•	Decreased the sensitivity of the Log Processor crash detection system as it was a little sensitive to random processor usage spikes.
•	Small leak in the Log Processor fixed.
•	After adding Hardware lines  to a log you had to restart Capture for the descriptions and colours to appear.

v4.0.16

The wav file code has been modified in such a way that memory consumption when using wav formats has been halved.

The following issues have been fixed:
•	Memory leaked in Log Processor when writing WMA.
•	Total Disk space estimate on the Log Settings and Wizard windows did not update in real time when changing the logging periods in certain ways.
•	Log Processor would sometimes report an incorrect size for a WMA file. 

v4.0.15

The previously noted WMA leak has been worked around.  Whenever you select WMA the file is in fact written in PCM.  Capture (or the Log Processor depending on which period you're using WMA in) then spools off a small utility program to convert that PCM file to WMA.  The leak still exists but since the utility program close down after each run the leak does not have a chance to build up.

New File Menu option to launch the Log Processor manually.

The following issues have been fixed:
•	Capture was leaking small amount of memory with each file written.
•	turning on DAB with the log running required a stop-start before it would accept incoming connections
•	Disabling all the Hardware cards did not remove the Hardware line displays from the logs.
•	Every time the log processor switched logs Capture would leak a small amount of memory.
•	The timer that runs the Log Processor leaked a small amount each run.  This happened once every 5 seconds and over time could before quite large.
•	Removing an audio format from the Production or Standard periods would cause the lower periods to show the "Lock because Logger Running" message.  This occurred in both the Log Settings window and the setup wizard.
•	The total space required for the log displayed on the log settings window did not update for formats were edited.
•	The "other logs using x of y licensed channels" message on the log settings window and the wizard included the log you were currently configuring.
•	DAB listened for connections even when no services are registered.  Now it starts listening when the first service is added and stops and when the last one is removed.
•	If the system runs out of disk space and the logs are stopped then the numbers of warning emails was somewhat excessive.  They are now sent once per hour until the problem is resolved.

v4.0.14

The following issues have been fixed:
•	There is a known issue with the reported size of mp3 files.  They are often reported as being 2 or 3 seconds larger than they should be.  This was causing the Log Processor to repeatedly fail on some files with the consequence that those files would never be processed correctly and remain in the lists until they were deleted.  We have worked around this for now by using a higher tolerance for mp3 files than for the other formats.  We are working with our partners to get the issue fixed and when it is the default tolerances will be brought back into line with each other.
•	Editing DAB service details would result in DAB clients being unable to connect to PowerLog Capture until the software was restarted.
•	Having multiple logs set to use the same DAB service name would result in one of the registrations disappearing into the ether never to be seen again.  It now correctly routes dab messages to both logs using the shared service name.
•	Logs with WMA formats would show an incorrect disk space usage on the main front end when Capture is first run up.
•	Evaluation licenses would continue running after the license had expired.
•	Increasing the number of licensed output formats would result in a crash.  Restarting the software solved the issue.  This is now fixed.
•	With certain combinations of settings the Hardware Line display would not be visible at startup.  You'd have to go into the Log Settings window and press ok to make it appear.
•	A rather significant memory leak has been discovered in the Microsoft WMA codecs used for writing WMA files.  Because of this it is not practical to use WMA for the Production period since the Capture software will eventually use all available memory and keel over.  WMA has therefore been removed from the format chooser window for the Production period.  It is still usable for the standard and archive periods since the Log Processor restarts each hour and so clears all allocated memory, effectively resetting the leak.
•	The Log Processor could not delete extra format audio files early (ie ones that where only supposed to last for the production period when other formats existed into the standard and archive period).  This could cause disk usage to be higher than expected.

v4.0.12

Capture can now detect if the Log Processor has crashed in a state that leaves the process in memory.  It can then kill the hung process and restart the Log Processor.

The following issues have been fixed:
•	IMA ADPCM formats showed a disk space usage equivalent to PCM.
•	The Disk Space Calculator would zero the values in the Log Settings window if you closed it without saving.
•	If the Log Processor is already running then the copy that is automatically run by Capture would popup a message box telling you it already running.  This would ensure that the Log Processor never run again.  You can remove the message box manually for use in batch scripts and the like by using the /SILENT command line switch.
•	Sometimes the format type audio parameter would be stored incorrectly resulting in the Log Processor attempting to re-process files it had already done.  No harm was done during this process but it did unnecessarily slow it down as a single failed archive could cause an entire hour to be re-processed which if it happens often enough could put the Log Processor behind.

v4.0.11

Added three new WMA formats for 48KHz: 64kbps, 128kbps and 256kbps.

Turned off the error logging when and an email attempt fails due to no email server being configured since there is no way to stop them and it's a pain.  You are still warned about it when configuring silence emails and the General options window will not let you partially configure email settings.

The following issues have been fixed:
•	Debug Mode was not correctly passed on to the Log Processor in some circumstances.
•	Corrected an issue with hours being log processed 1 hour early.   This was particularly noticable when using a 1 hour Standard period.  The Log Processor would try to process the currently recording hour!
•	memory leak.
•	you could enter zero for the Production period length.  Slightly pointless really.
•	the Log Processor's 'Current Hour' progress bar worked for the first hour it processed but never reset to zero for the subsequent hours.

v4.0.9

Introduced mp3 formats for standard and archive periods.  It can not be selected for the Production period because the codec does not allow more than one file to be open at the same time.  This will be rectified in a future version of the codec.

The following issues have been fixed:
•	wizard crashed when no soundcards were installed in the PC.  Have rectified by presenting a message about the problem and not allowing the software to run.
•	occasionally the log processor would mis-read the audio length of a converted mp3 file and report the conversion as incorrect.  The inaccuracy was dependant on file data so the same files files were marked each time they were re-processed resulting in a large list of unprocessable hours building up. This problem is due to a problem with the mp3 codec from our suppliers.  We are working with them to resolve the issue.  As a temporary workaround we have written in a registry dword value called "FileSizeTolerance" in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHNE\SOFTWARE\PSquared\PowerLog v4\Capture key.This is the number of milliseconds difference between the original and the processed audio file to allow before flagging an error.  This value was originally 1000 but has now been temporarily increased to 2000.  It will be reduced again once the codec issue has been resolved.

v4.0.8

The Directory Manager can now merge another Directory's log into the currently open Directory.  Useful for building super directories of multiple servers.

The following issues have been fixed:
•	corrected some interesting grammar in "incorrect audio file length" email.
•	disk space requirements for PCM WAV files were incorrect, reporting 4 times less space than was actually needed.
•	The log period editor on the standalone disk space calculator did not show period disk size.
•	Doing a retroactive log period length change would cause a small skip in the current audio segement.
•	Numerous spelling mistakes and awkward phrasings improved.
•	If a Serial Port was configured as a Hardware card it would error during startup
•	you could set zero bitrate on mp2
•	using the Disk Space Calculator if any of the logs had a Serial Source configured would exit to desktop.
•	Log Processor would crash if a non-audio with an audio filename was placed in the log folders.
•	The Monitor Soundcard selector in General Settings allowed the selection of devices that were unsuitable for playback.
•	MP2 formats defaulted to 8kbps.  Changed that to the slightly more sensible 128kbps.

v4.0.7

When doing retroactive changes to the logging periods it now works better with fragmented log data.

The following issues have been fixed:
•	some of the email titles were incorrect.

v4.0.6

Logs are now shutdown when free disk space reaches a certain level and a warning email is sent.  The default level is 100MB.

The following issues have been fixed:
•	Log Processor would sometimes get the comparison of Wav Format Tags wrong and so think that it had already archived a file when it hadn't

v4.0.5

The Hardware lines pages in the wizard how have the same auto-edit feature that the one's on the Options window do.

More information included on silence notification emails.

Silence emails now only fire once every 4 hours for the same silence.

Warns when disk space is running low (including emails to the admin list).

New silence detect modes.  You now have a choice of 3 options: Mark when both channels are silent, Mark when at least one channel is silent and Mark the channels separately.

The following issues have been fixed:
•	you could set an empty format name in the wizard
•	backward navigation disabled until a valid logging period entered
•	you could still set a logging period even when no audio formats were specified.
•	clicking the Disk Space Calculator button did not transfer any new values to the DSC until they had been saved by navigating off page and back.
•	certain combinations of Hardware line settings caused the wizard to crash. 
•	default log settings were in correct in wizard.
•	unsuitable audio devices were still presented in the list.
•	archive period audio format was always empty when loaded from the defaults.
•	slight alteration to audio format editor "Locked" message to make it clearer.
•	fixed tab orders on the wizard
•	Disk Space Calculator no longer gets stuck when periods are reduced to zero length or when there is no audio format specified.
•	the channel source combo sometimes had a gray background when enabled in the wizard.
•	using the wizard to edit a log did not load the correct audio formats.
•	log processor start time setting was being ignored
•	move the default position of the error log window since it covered the Stop Logging dialog.
•	Over capacity warning on the disk space calculator is now invisible until it is needed.
•	New Serial Sources saved with an incorrect COM port number

v4.0.4
Please note that this is a  Beta version.  It should not be used for mission critical systems.  Please ensure that you read the definition of a Beta version on the P Squared Support website (there are links next to the product download links).

If you enable silence notification in the logs and you do not have any admins or no email server details entered then it now warns you of this.

Removed debug mode setting from settings window.  This is now handled exclusively by the /DEBUG and /DEBUGFULL command line switches.

Simplified the admin email list.  You can no longer disable them but leave them in the list.  If they're there then they'll be emailed.

Revamped directory manager and simplied access to the system directory from PowerLog Capture's File menu.
Directory Manager now remembers the last window size and position
You can now add local logs much more easily.

The following issues have been fixed:
•	the log processor would sometimes leave empty folders behind.
•	log processor changed window state too often, jumping to and from the task bar
•	fixed some default column widths on the settings window
•	license expiry emails were far too frequent
•	Log files were being overwritten by the last item of the hour.
•	log processor would experience an Access Violation exception when trying to up sample.
•	If status update emails failed to send the error log would indicate that the error occurred trying to send a silence notification.
•	when recording straight into WMA it would throw SmoothStream errors.
•	PowerLog Directory was not included in Support Files.
•	when making any changes to Hardware Card settings the line assignments in the log settings would be lost.
•	some minor graphics glitches with control enabled states when logs were stopped and started.
•	drag icon remained after dropping in the Directory Manager.
•	statusbar in the Directory Manager did not autosize to the window.
•	Directory folder was not shared correctly.
•	Directory entries would change ordering when you modified a log's client path.

v4.0.2
Please note that this is a  Beta version.  It should not be used for mission critical systems.  Please ensure that you read the definition of a Beta version on the P Squared Support website (there are links next to the product download links).

Replaced the MB and GB displays on the Log Settings window with a single disk space display that automatically formats to the most appropriate units.

Added an "Are you sure?" prompt when closing the Log Processor.

Serial data stream logging.  These streams can be presented on a COM port or via a TCP connection.  Decoding of serial streams is plugin based and so can be customised for interpret specific data formats.  Please contact sales@psquared.net for pricing for custom development of a decoder plugin.  PowerLog is supplied with a default decoder which simply splits the data on CRLF pairs and returns the raw data in between.

Important: New System Mark format.  This will render any marks recorded with a earlier version of PowerLog inaccessible. If you need to upgrade an existing Log then please contact P Squared for a convertor.

Log Processor can be throttled to allow you to make the most of your available processing power.

PowerLog now has a customised set of WMA profiles.  These are stored in the pspl4.prx file in the installation folder.  This means that you can create your own profiles using the WM Profile Editor.  Please note the PowerLog stores the index of the profile and so if you insert new profiles into the middle of the file you could change the formats used by existing logs. Adding new profiles to the end of the file is completely safe.  This change can be made without restarting PowerLog, however any open format chooser windows will not include them.  Simply close the chooser and re-open it.
Another important note about editing this file is that if you do not copy the new prx file out to all of clients then your users will not be able to write compilations in the same format of the original log if the log is using a new profile.

Added /DELAYSTART switch to allow Capture to wait out problems with slow to start drivers.

Added /FORCEWIZARD switch to make complete re-configuration easier.  It wipes the existing config and re-runs the setup wizard.

Reduced load time.

The following issues have been fixed:
•	mp2 formats other than the default weren't being reflected in the audio files.
•	mono logs set to take from the Left channel would revert to Both when Capture was restarted.
•	the estimated disk space required displayed on the Logger front end was sometimes wrong.  It was calculated based on 44.1KHz Stereo PCM instead of the chosen format.
•	the Archive Period Format Editor was available even if no Standard Period format was set.  Trying to modify the Archive format in this case caused a crash.  The editor is now correctly disabled.
•	when opening the format editor the inital format type would not be selected in the Format Type combo.
•	Support File generator not including all settings files
•	Log Processor would not remember it's position correctly if you closed it before it had finished processing.
•	a "Can not find path" error when creating a backup before the Remote Access Logs and Directory folders have been created.  This primarily manifested itself on initial configuration of a new system.  
•	fixed problems with using Hardware Cards that have user configurable line counts.
•	added /DEBUG and /DEBUGFULL switches to aid problem solving if Capture will not start.
•	writing MS ADPCM instead of IMA.
•	slight crackle on ADPCM files.
•	fixed memory when reading WMA files.  However, one still remains.  Because of this the log processor will terminate when it finishes the archiving process.  This problem will also affect long term (as in days) running of the Client.

v4.0.1
Please note that this is a  Beta version.  It should not be used for mission critical systems.  Please ensure that you read the definition of a Beta version on the P Squared Support website (there are links next to the product download links).

New human readable file system

Multiple audio format support.

The record/archive quality system has been re-introduced and expanded to include three compression stages.  It now records 'Production' quality which is compressed down to 'Standard' quality and then again to 'Archive'.  As usual, these periods are all definable.

Crash protection so should the software suffer some sort of catastrophic error (whether software or hardware derived) it can still send out an alert email.  It also has the option to restart itself automatically if this happens.

New hardware display area.  Shows line names alongside the coloured blobs to indicate actvity.

Log processor has a new look.  Hours are presented in a single grid, listing record time, action time and action to be taken.  All logs are now presented in the same list.

Re-vamped wizards for easier log configuration.

New P Squared back office look.

There is a list of administrative contacts that are emailed when problems and status changes occur.

Warnings of silence can be emailed to to the Admin list plus an additional address per log if needed.

New simplified support file creation.

There is now a settings backup feature that store your capture configuration along side your logs.  This makes the process of upgrading the hardware simpler and safer.  It also protects you against accidental settings changes.
If you config has been completely lost then a restore can be triggered at startup using the /RESTOREBACKUP command line switch.

v4.0.0a
Please note that this is an Alpha version and as such is almost guaranteed to contain bugs, perhaps of a critical nature.  You should not use this software on any machine that is mission critical.  P Squared Ltd. is not liable for any loss or damage how so ever caused, either directly or indirectly through the use of this software.

Note that you can not access a v4.0.0a server with any PowerLog Client version other than v4.0.0a.

Writes WMA audio instead of WAV.  (Support for mulitple formats (plus other formats such as Ogg Vorbis) will be added in the next release)

WMA format profile is specified by modifying the following registry dword value:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\PSquared\PowerLog v4\Server\WMARecordProfile

If the value is not present then it defaults to profile 23: WMA 44,100 Hz; 16 bit; Stereo
A list of the available formats can be found at:

http://services.planetwideradio.com/psquared/manuals/powerlog_v4_wma_formats.htm

This version does not support archiving of audio files.  The log processor still handles log deletion as normal but the entire log period is stored at the quality specified in the above registry key.

New support file features including automatic email notification to P Squared when you send a support file and the ability to send the data for all logs in one file.