Starting the server, and backups

The two halves

Cartwright has two parts. The app is the window you work in. The traffic server keeps your data and talks to your automation system. The app shows you what the server holds, so without the server nothing loads.

The sidebar always shows which state you are in: a green dot and Server connected, or red and Server unreachable.

When it says unreachable

The server normally starts by itself. If it has stopped:

1. Open Settings and find Traffic server. 2. Press Start the server. Cartwright waits for the server to answer before it says it worked. 3. If it says the server started but nothing answered, call (707) 505-8885 or email hello@cartwright.fm and we will help.

The server runs in a window titled DO NOT CLOSE. That window is the server, so leave it open.

If you do not see a Start the server button, you are using Cartwright in a web browser rather than the installed app. A web page cannot start programs. Go to the computer where Cartwright is installed and start it from there.

"The traffic server cannot reach those folders"

If Cartwright says it cannot reach a folder even though you can open it yourself, the folder is fine. The server just needs to run under your Windows account.

When Cartwright is installed, the server runs under a built-in Windows account called SYSTEM. That lets it start as soon as the PC turns on, with nobody signed in. This works when everything is on one computer.

It does not work when your automation system is on a different PC. The SYSTEM account cannot open folders on another computer. Your own account can, which is why the folder opens fine for you in File Explorer.

Running the automation on a separate on-air PC is the usual setup, so most stations need this step.

To fix it:

1. Open Settings and go to On-Air Bridge. 2. Press Run it as me. This moves the server onto your Windows account. No password is needed. 3. If Windows asks for an administrator's permission, say yes. Without it, the server goes back to the old account at the next restart. 4. If Cartwright says a server started by the system is still running, restart the PC. Windows protects programs started by SYSTEM, so a restart is the way to stop it. After the restart, the server starts the new way.

Done looks like this: the On-Air Bridge shows ready, and the folder message is gone.

What changes after this

The server now starts when you sign in to Windows, not when the PC turns on. If the PC restarts overnight, for example for an update or after a power cut, no logs are built until somebody signs in.

So if your PC restarts while nobody is there, sign in to it as soon as you can.

If everything is on one computer, you can skip this section. The SYSTEM account works fine, and there is nothing to change.

Backups

Cartwright backs up all your data once a day while the traffic server is running. Put the backups on another computer: a copy on this PC protects you from a mistake, but only a copy somewhere else protects you if this PC fails.

1. Open Settings and find Backups. Only an administrator can change it. 2. In Backup folder, type a network path such as \\server\share\folder. Do not use a drive letter like M:, because the backup runs when nobody is signed in, and drive letters belong to whoever is signed in. 3. Press Save. 4. Press Back up now to check that it works.

Done looks like this: the Backups card shows when the last backup ran. If it says the last one failed, check that the folder opens from this PC.

Each backup is a complete, checked copy, and it is safe to take while the station is working. A new backup is checked before any older one is removed.

Your live data stays on this PC's own disk, on purpose. Only the backups go to the backup folder.

Two things to never do

Never change your automation system's own files. Cartwright places a log file in a folder your automation system watches, and stops there. That is why nothing Cartwright does can take your station off the air.

Never move Cartwright's live data to a network drive. This is not about speed. A network drive can damage data while it is being saved. Backups are fine there.

Which version am I running?

Look at the bottom of the sidebar, or open Help and choose About Cartwright. Both show the version number.

If a button you expect is missing, check this first. You may be on an older version.