ToolX - Video Streaming & Network Diagnostics¶

ToolX is a comprehensive video streaming and network diagnostics tool for GVA systems. It provides capabilities for SAP/SDP stream discovery, RTP video stream generation, SNMP MIB browsing, and network diagnostics - essential for testing and debugging video distribution in military vehicle systems.

Key Capabilities¶

ToolX provides the following capabilities:

Protocol Sequences¶

RTP/SAP Video Streaming Sequence¶

The following diagram shows the typical message sequence for SAP-announced RTP video streaming:

SNMP MIB Walk Sequence¶

The following diagram shows the typical SNMP walk sequence for VIVOE device interrogation:

Running ToolX¶

Launch ToolX from the build directory:

cd build/bin
./toolx

Command Line Options¶

ToolX supports the following command-line options for codec selection:

# Use GStreamer VAAPI H.264 encoder (default, hardware accelerated)
./toolx --vaapi

# Use GStreamer OpenH264 encoder (software)
./toolx --openh264

# Use native OpenH264 encoder (non-GStreamer)
./toolx --openh264-native

# Use native VAAPI encoder (non-GStreamer)
./toolx --vaapi-native

# Use OMX H.264 encoder (for embedded platforms)
./toolx --omx

Tabs Overview¶

ToolX organises its functionality into several tabs:

RTP-SAP Tab¶

The RTP-SAP tab provides SAP/SDP stream discovery and RTP video stream generation capabilities.

Features:

• SAP Listener: Discovers video streams announced via SAP multicast

  • Session Name - Human-readable stream name
  • IP Address - Multicast destination address
  • Port - RTP port number
  • Encoding - Video codec (H.264, JPEG2000, etc.)
  • Resolution - Width x Height
  • Frame Rate - Frames per second

• Stream Generator: Create test pattern video streams

  • Multiple test patterns (EBU colour bars, grey scale, checkered, solid colours, bouncing ball)
  • Configurable resolution, frame rate, and encoding
  • SAP announcement generation for stream discovery

• Stream Player: View received video streams

  • Double-click a discovered stream to play it
  • Supports all MediaX-compatible codecs

SNMP Tab¶

The SNMP tab provides SNMP MIB walking functionality for VIVOE compliance testing.

Features:

• Target Configuration:

  • IP Address - Target device IP (validated before walk)
  • Community String - SNMP community (default: "public")
  • SNMP Version - v1, v2c, or v3

• MIB Browser:

  • Hierarchical tree view of SNMP OIDs
  • OID values displayed with type information
  • VIVOE-MIB support for video-over-Ethernet devices

• Walk Button: Initiates SNMP walk (disabled until valid IP entered)

Diagnostics Tab¶

The Diagnostics tab provides comprehensive network interface and multicast diagnostics.

Features:

• Network Interfaces: Lists all network interfaces with:

  • Interface name and status (UP/DOWN)
  • IP address and netmask
  • MAC address
  • MTU size

• Multicast Configuration:

  • IGMP snooping status
  • Multicast routing table
  • Active multicast group memberships

• Diagnostic Tests:

  • Multicast connectivity tests
  • IGMP query/report verification
  • Network path analysis

Running Diagnostics:

1. Click "Run Diagnostics" to start the diagnostic tests
2. Tests run asynchronously in the background
3. Results are displayed in the output panel
4. Tests include:
   • Network interface enumeration
   • IP configuration validation
   • Multicast group membership checks
   • IGMP snooping detection
   • Route table analysis

Video Codec Support¶

ToolX supports multiple video codecs through the MediaX library:

Uncompressed Video Modes¶

The following uncompressed video formats are supported:

Codec Selection¶

The default codec is GStreamer VAAPI H.264 which provides hardware-accelerated encoding on Intel and AMD GPUs. If hardware acceleration is not available, use --openh264 for software encoding.

Native vs GStreamer:

• GStreamer codecs: Use GStreamer pipeline for encoding, more flexible but higher latency
• Native codecs: Direct library calls, lower latency but fewer features

Test Patterns¶

The stream generator supports the following test patterns for video stream testing:

Static Test Patterns¶

Solid Colour Patterns¶

Pattern	Image	Use Case
Solid Black		Black level calibration
Solid White		White level / brightness test
Solid Red		Red channel test
Solid Green		Green channel test
Solid Blue		Blue channel test

Animated Test Patterns¶

These patterns include motion for testing video encoding and frame rate:

Pattern	Preview	Description
Bouncing Ball		Moving ball animation for motion testing
Moving Sweep		Sweeping line for motion blur testing
Pulsing Circle		Expanding/contracting circle animation
Rotating Cube		3D rotating cube for complex motion
Scrolling Text		Moving text for readability testing
White Noise		Random noise for compression artifact testing

SAP/SDP Protocol¶

ToolX implements the Session Announcement Protocol (SAP) defined in RFC 2974 for stream discovery:

• Multicast Address: 224.2.127.254
• Port: 9875
• Announcement Interval: Configurable (default 1 second)

The Session Description Protocol (SDP) payload includes:

• Session name and description
• Connection information (multicast address)
• Media description (codec, port, format)
• Timing information

Troubleshooting¶

No Streams Discovered¶

1. Verify multicast routing is enabled on your network
2. Check that IGMP snooping is properly configured on switches
3. Ensure firewall allows SAP multicast (224.2.127.254:9875)
4. Run diagnostics tab to verify multicast connectivity

Stream Generation Fails¶

1. Check codec availability with gst-inspect-1.0 vaapih264enc
2. Verify GPU driver is installed for hardware acceleration
3. Try --openh264 for software-only encoding
4. Check network interface supports multicast

SNMP Walk Times Out¶

1. Verify target IP is reachable (ping <ip>)
2. Check SNMP service is running on target
3. Verify community string is correct
4. Check firewall allows UDP port 161

See Also¶

• LDMX Debugger - DDS message monitoring
• External Applications - Building GVA apps
• DDS Topics - LDM topic reference