Update: This article has been moved to the Answers @ ACES knowledgebase

Connecting to Signs

Signs are managed using the Four Winds Interactive software that is hosted on a Technology Services terminal server.

Note: You must be given access by Technology Services in order to connect to and use this software.

To begin, use an RDP client such as Windows Remote Desktop to open a connection to the server.

Go to the Start menu and type in “Remote Desktop Connection”. The program should appear at the top.
The address of the server is

sign-red.cites.illinois.edu

The server uses standard campus Active Directory credentials in the format UOFI\NetID. (Note: We no longer use “UIUC” credentials to log in). On first login, a user profile will be created.

If this is your first time connecting to the server you’ll need to follow the directions below to configure Content Manager and connect to the ACES database. These steps may need to be repeated at second log in as well, but should stick after that.

FWi Content Manager Configuration:

1. Launch FWi Content Manager by double-clicking the icon on the desktop.  It’s labeled “Content Manager” 

a. The first time CM is run the Content Manager Setup Wizard will appear.

  b. Close this wizard.

2. From the File Menu, select Open.

a. Click New and choose Database Connection.

3. On the Connection Properties window, enter the following information.

a. In the Server Name field, enter cites-signagedb.ad.uillinois.edu.

b. Select “Use Windows Authentication”

c. From the database selection pulldown, select ds-51-aces and click OK. (It may take a few seconds for the list to appear, please be patient.)

4. The database that you selected should now be in your connection list.

a. Click on the + sign next to your database to expand the selection.

b. Select University of Illinois and then click Open.

5. Your FWi database should now be open and ready to use!

6. This database should open automatically the next time you use FWi Content Manager, but you may need to follow these steps once more when you next log on.

Digital Signage Fileshare

Upon login to the terminal server, a drive “S:\” will be mapped to the digital signage fileshare mentioned earlier.  Access to the folders within the fileshare is based upon the departmental signage security groups.

Having a common source for content file is very important to content management as it will ensure that each user within a given department has access to the EXACT same files and directory structures as one another and as is listed in the FWi database for each department.

Connecting to the Digital Signage Fileshare from other computers

In order to place content for use in a sign users may want to connect to the digital signage file share directly from there workstation. To do this they can use the following path along with there Campus AD credentials.

For PC users: \\ad.uiuc.edu\cites\digitalsignage
For Mac users: smb://digisign-fs.cites.illinois.edu

Full directions on how to connect can be found here: http://techsupport.aces.illinois.edu/2012/02/connecting-to-the-digital-signage-shared-drive/

***The attached document was used to create to this page and includes more complete information about managing digital signs.

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