Installation Instructions

Note that there isn't an installer yet for HECTOR, so you'll need to manually unpack the files before use. It's all self-contained however, so you just need to unzip the download package into a suitable directory and run the HectorServer.exe file.

Also, it's important to realise that this is still a very early beta version. I appreciate all feedback, but currently I've only been able to test it on a handful of demo machines. Therefore, you should thoroughly expect HECTOR to not work on your computer and/or do weird things.

Prerequisites

HECTOR has been optimized at this moment for modern 64-bit Intel processors only - predominantly those that support QuickSync video. Skylake and Kaby Lake architecture would be a good choice, and this is especially true when dealing with video sources. HECTOR may run without QuickSync, but this isn't something I've been actively testing yet. I also use a number of Intel memory optimizations which may make running the software on AMD hardware slower. My intention is to eventually support a wide range of different hardware options, but it's a case of taking it one step at a time. Also note, it won't run on 32-bit architecture at all.

Using HECTOR

When first running HECTOR, you may be presented with a firewall warning stating that HECTOR is requesting access to public and private networks. This is a necessary step to get HECTOR running - first, HECTOR runs locally as a web service to allow you to connect via a web browser (don't worry though, unless you explicitly forward HECTOR's ports, it can't be accessed from outside your local network). Secondly, HECTOR modules are downloaded and updated via the web, so HECTOR needs external access in order to install each module.

After running, you'll be presented with a console window asking you to sign up. Press 'S' to sign up and create your HECTOR account.

When HECTOR is up and running, you'll see the console will show the following information:

Open a web browser and browse to the link shown, and you'll see the HECTOR interface.

• RACK VIEW shows all the modules you have in the rack. You can add modules to the screen by clicking the '+' button in the top-right corner. When you first load HECTOR, no modules will be installed, so you need to click through to the 'Browse' section, find the modules you want and then click the 'Install' button. Once installed, you can add them to the rack.
• SERVER VIEW shows some additional server information. There are some settings listed here which can be altered for the local server. If you have installed other HECTOR servers on your local network, you'll see them listed here too.
• DESK VIEW is a new addition to HECTOR that allows you to neaten up your HECTOR work space. Basically, for any control that's shown on the RACK VIEW, you can right click on them and add them to the desk. When you do this, the control will appear here. This means you can bring just the controls you want to the desk, and not have to worry about unecessary controls and multi-coloured wires cluttering up your control space. Long term, the idea is that you can load up these desks on tablets and multi-touch dumb terminals (like a Raspberry Pi with a touchscreen) and then feed exactly what controls you want to each touchscreen, styling and positioning the controls exactly how you want. It doesn't quite do this yet but it does kinda work!
• REFRESH the button far-right simply refreshes the screen. There are occasions at the moment where this is necessary. For example, if you install a new module, you should click refresh before you can see it. I intend to fix annoyances like this, but the refresh button is there as a fallback.

Saving the workspace

Once you've finished setting up a workspace, you can save it by clicking on the HECTOR console and hitting CTRL-C - this closes HECTOR down and saves its current state at the same time. When you load it back up, the workspace will be as you left it. A major issue here is you can't save more than one workspace at the moment. It's on the list to sort this out, as well as provide a number of example workspaces that can be downloaded from the HECTOR website.

That's it for now, have fun using HECTOR!