MOTOROLA NAS-RAC

BEST PRACTICES AND LAUNCH GUIDE

DOCUMENT

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 INTRODUCTION

Motorola’s National Authorization Service-Regional Access Controller (NAS-

RAC) will provide cable operators the capability to receive, process, control, and
distribute digital video, audio, and data services. NAS-RAC is a low-cost alternative for
systems to launch Digital Cable TV that will allow you to expand your existing service
offering, attract and retain new customers, and give your system a new direction without
the startup and ongoing cost associated with operating your own conditional access
system.

An important part of launching a NAS-RAC Digital Cable Headend is to prepare your

personnel, as well as your customers, to know and understand what new and exciting
features Digital Cable TV brings. NAS-RAC Digital Cable offers several new advanced
features such as VOD and an Interactive Program Guide, giving your customers a
powerful way to search and select programming they want to see, when they want to see
it. This Guidebook is intended to provide you and your staff with best practices and
guidelines that can be used throughout your launch process continuing on into operations.
This Guidebook is divided into three different sections:

• NAS-RAC- LAUNCHING DIGITAL CABLE TV

• NAS-RAC OPERATION GUIDELINES

• NAS-RAC SYSTEM SUPPORT

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 NAS-RAC LAUNCHING DIGITAL CABLE TV
This section is an overview of the NAS-RAC digital launch process providing
high-level information on the roles and responsibilities of the System MSO/Cable
Personnel. Many if not all of the following should be completed prior to your site
entering the launch process. The launch process takes 8 weeks. Prior to starting the 8-
week process you will be assigned a NAS-RAC account manager. Please use this account
manager as your resource to help guide you through your launch process.

Physical Site Preparation

• Headend Facility- Make sure your headend facility and its entry way can
accommodate new digital headend racks. Please note rack dimensions are:
Height= 77 inches, Width= 19 inches, Depth= 30 inches. Please verify there are
no other issues with bringing racks into the headend area.

• Headend Rack Power- Verify rack locations have access to an adequate power
supply (110 VAC, 20 AMPs, per rack). Your racks should run through a UPS
that meets these power requirements. Once racks are installed, please verify they
are properly grounded.

• Headend Cooling System- Your headend needs adequate cooling system to handle
both existing and new equipment.

• Headend Security- It is recommended that your headend have fire detection,

access control, audible intrusion alarm, and remote monitoring.

• Satellite Dish- Confirm that the satellite dish installation is complete. There could
be multiple dishes depending on the services you are taking and their locations.
Verify the following:

-Antenna size is adequate

-Antenna is secure with fencing
-LNBs are KU or. C-Band rated depending on your service location
-Feed horn has both a vertical and horizontal polarity LNB
-Dish has de-icing if needed
-Dish is properly tuned with a clear look angle
-Cables are run to headend

• Settop Storage- It is recommended that you have a separate facility to store and
configure your digital converters. This facility should have adequate floor space
for storage, as well as a space to be used for the burning process.

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 • Interface Hardware- Verify your site has the interface hardware, combiners,
network connections, and the RF capacity to connect your digital headend to the
plant. (i.e. coax, dual cable, AM Fiber, SONET, etc.)

• Cable Plant- Your cable plant needs to meet digital specifications and have the
bandwidth to support the number of digital transponders you are launching. Each
6MHz channel needs to be clear/non-impaired, not in a roll-off region, not
adjacent to a trapped channel, and not subject to extreme ingress. If your system
is using sweep equipment, please verify this equipment can be configured to skip
your digital channels.

PLEASE NOTE: Motorola NAS-RAC FE will need to have at least 1 technical

resource personnel readily available during the installation week for onsite training,
and to assist with any minor issues or necessities that may arise. It is recommended
that you have a modern spectrum analyzer available during the installation; acceptable
units are HP 8591, Tektronics 2714, or similar.

System Preparation

• NAS-RAC AST Agreement (Addressable Set-top Service Agreement) - Make sure

you have a completed and signed NAS-RAC AST agreement with Motorola.
This agreement specifies the AST fees and contractual obligations for the NAS-
RAC services. Motorola policy states that no work with commence on the part of
Motorola or its designees unless this agreement is signed.

• Ordering Equipment- When ordering equipment, make sure you have accounted
not only for your primary headend, but also any hubs sites your headend will be
feeding. This may include multiple RADDs, OM1000s, or Modulation devices,
as examples. Be sure to include spare equipment. If you have a two-way plant, be
sure to order the correct equipment, whether it is Telco Return or RF Return. If
you are Telco Return you will need to order new modems and a Digiport server.
For Telco you should factor one modem per 500 DCT’s. If you are RF return you
will need to order an RPD and Demod Cards. Motorola recommends combining
no more than 4 fiber nodes of 500 homes passed per RPD demodulator card in a
stable, quiet, well-maintained HFC plant. A single RPD demodulator channel
will respond to any number of sequential return signals without limit, as long as
an input carrier to noise (C/N) of at least 20 dB is maintained. Please reference
your Motorola sales/marketing person for details, as these recommendations are
subject to change.

• Billing/Addressability System- When choosing a Billing System for

addressability, make sure that system supports digital WireLink commands,
specifically the 700 series commands, and the billing system is Motorola
approved. The Billing System must also be able to interface with NAS-RAC via
TCP/IP. If your Billing System does not currently support the above
requirements, they will need to work with Motorola to become certified and this

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 will delay your system launch. Verify your system has a connection to the Billing
System and the Billing System must have a VPN connection back to NAS-RAC.

• EPG Provider- Make sure you have a signed contract with the EPG provider you
have chosen to go with, whether it is TV Guide, Microsoft, Pioneer, or other
Motorola supported provider. Motorola NAS-RAC cannot begin to build your
channel map without certain information from the EPG provider, thus a contract
must be signed Additionally, contact your EPG guide provider and make sure you
have the equipment in place to support a data feed from that provider. Motorola
policy states that no work will commence on the part of Motorola or its designees
unless this agreement is signed and the equipment is in place. Depending on the
guide provider you choose, there may be other coordination that must take place.
For example, if you are using TV Guide, they will need to assign you MCA
values and Source Ids that must be passed to the NAS-RAC launch team.

• VPN Connectivity- NAS-RAC requires an always-on Internet connection in order

for us to support your system remotely. This connection must provide bandwidth
of at least 256Kbps. This connection must be active and ready at time of
installation.

• Channel Map- Complete and submit a NAS-RAC Channel Line-up form. This
form must be completed in its entirety. During the launch process it is very
important that this lineup doesn’t change. It could affect the testing process, the
build process, and delay the launch in general. . Therefore, it is Motorola policy
not to accept changes during the launch process.

• Video Transport- Once the channel line-up has been confirmed, verify all video
transport contract/authorizations are in place. All service provider authorizations
must be in place before the Motorola FE installs your digital headend.

• Launch Document- Complete and submit the NAS-RAC launch document. This
form must be completed in its entirety prior to Motorola or its designees
beginning their work. This document provides the basic information for the
launch team to begin to support you.

• Training- One of the most critical factors in successfully launching Digital Cable
TV is having knowledgeable and skilled front-line personnel. Motorola provides
several in-house and on-line courses that help to prepare system staff to launch
Digital Cable TV and will help ensure customer satisfaction. Please visit
Motorola Online at https://broadbandtraining.motorola.com for training course
details. As a NAS-RAC customer, you are required to sign up for Motorola On-
Line account https://businessonline.motorola.com. This web support tool not only
gives you on-line training courses, it will provide you a status on orders, repairs,
open tickets, and is a great location for retrieving Motorola documents, technical
bulletins, and installation manuals.

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• Workforce Planning- Make sure you have the proper staffing to support the
number of digital customers you plan to deploy. It is recommended you have the
following trained personnel: Headend Technician, Billing System Personnel,
Networking Personnel, Field Installation, Field Technician, Sales/Marketing
Personnel, and most importantly Customer Service.

• Testing Period- A brief internal test period is recommended. It will allow you to
work out any outstanding issues and it is a great way to familiarize your
employees with Digital Cable TV. Have the test group fill out test logs on any
known problems. This will give you an opportunity to iron common problems out
prior to launching live to paying customers.

• Contact Information for Local System- When filling out your launch document it
is important for you to include key contact information. This information will be
used for all notifications pertaining to NAS-RAC, as well as a path for the NAS-
RAC support team to communicate with your local team when troubleshooting
issues.

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 NAS-RAC OPERATIONS
This section is an overview of guidelines that can be used for NAS-RAC
Operations. After your headend has launched, your system will utilize a toll-free NAS-
RAC hotline for all support issues and configuration change requests. This section will
outline common requests. All support requests require you to enter your Cable
System/Headend ID. Each site is given a Cable System ID at the time they enter the
launch process.

• Channel Map Change Request- During normal operations there will be times your
site will want to remove or add services to your existing lineup/channel map. All
channel map change requests should come in via the NASRAC email bucket at
CMC_NASRAC@cable.comcast.com. Changes may take up to 30 days to
process. The channel map change form will need to be completed in its entirety
and any additional equipment involved must be configured prior to the change
being processed by the NAS-RAC support team. Any changes done to the
NASRAC platform will need to be relayed to your Guide Provider. Please see
their instructions for notification.

• Service Provider Channel Re-alignments- All channel re-alignments driven by

individual Service Providers will be the responsibility of the local system. The
local system should submit a channel map change form according to the standard
NAS-RAC channel map change process and follow the 30-day timeline. This
will help ensure your map is not being adjusted without your local system
permission.

• DAC Configuration Change Request- All DAC configuration change requests,

such as settop parameters and polling schedule changes, should come in via the
NAS-RAC website/written request and allow 30 days to process.

• NAS-RAC System Reports- In order to better support our customers on NAS-RAC

and their operations, NAS-RAC will supply standard reports for channel maps,
settops, polling information, etc. These standard reports can be found on the
NAS-RAC website and will be updated on a weekly basis. All other report
request must be submitted in writing and will be processed within 30 days.

• NAS-RAC Billing Packages- NAS-RAC offers several standard-billing packages

that sites can use. Even if you don’t have all the services listed in the package
you can still use them. System’s wanting to offer packages outside of the
standard NAS-RAC packages, will need to create them using their local billing
system. The Standard NAS-RAC billing packages are as follows.

HBO
HBO (East)
HBO 2 (East)

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HBO Signature (East)
HBO Family (East)
HBO Comedy (East)
HBO Zone (East)
HBO Latino (East)
HBO (West)
HBO 2 (West)
HBO Signature (West)

CINEMAX
Cinemax (East)
More Max (East)
Action Max (East)
Thriller Max (East)
Cinemax (West)
More Max (West)
Action Max (West)
Thriller Max (West)

SHOWTIME
Showtime (East)
Showtime Too (East)
Showtime Showcase (East)
Showtime Extreme (East)
Showtime FamilyZone (East)
Showtime Women (East)
Showtime Next (East)
Showtime (West)
Showtime Too (West)
Showtime Showcase (West)
Showtime Extreme (West)
Showtime FamilyZone (West)
Showtime Women (West)
Showtime Beyond
The Movie Channel (East)
The Movie Channel Xtra (East)
The Movie Channel (West)
The Movie Channel Xtra (West)
Flix (East)
Flix (West)
Sundance (West)

Starz!
Starz! (East)
Starz! (West)

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Starz! HD
Starz! Family (East)
Black Starz! (East)
Starz! Theater (East)
Starz! Theater (West)
Starz! Cinema (East)
Starz! Kids
Encore (East)
Encore Action (East)
Encore True Stories (East)
Encore Westerns (East)
Encore Love Stories (East)
Encore Mystery (East)
Encore (West)
Encore Action (West)
Encore True Stories (West)
Encore Westerns (West)
Encore Love Stories (West)
Encore Mystery (West)
WAM (East)

MLB

NBA

NHL

• System Free-Previews- Systems looking to offer Free-Previews on certain

services at designated times will need to handle them using their local billing
system.

• Service Provider Blackouts- To participate in local required service blackouts,

please work with the individual Service Providers.

• Coordinating PPV parameters between NASRAC and EPG Provider-

When completing the paperwork with your EPG Provider, it is important that
the Order Windows and Preview Times submitted be consistent with the
definitions of PPV events in NASRAC. Order Windows for PPV Movies should
not exceed one hour. Order windows for PPV events should not exceed the
length of the event minus one hour. For example, if the length of the PPV event
is 4 hours, the order window should not exceed three hours. Preview times must
be less than the length of the order window.

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• Service Transport Authorizations- To receive Satellite/Decrypt authorizations
please contact the individual service providers or transport aggregation providers.

• Documents and Installation Manuals- As a NAS-RAC customer you have access

to Motorola On-line https://businessonline.motorola.com.. On this website
Motorola provides an excellent location for retrieving documents such as white
papers, technical bulletins, and installation manuals.

• ACE Extended Warranty Program- Motorola offers and recommends an

Advanced Component Exchange-Extended Warranty Program. Details are
provided below.

1. The ACE Extended Warranty Program is a 24 hour equipment replacement

program that covers all part replacements, shipping costs, and repair charges for
the following headend products (subject to change as product offerings change.
Contact the ACE program group for up to date information):

a. DSR4400MD
b. OM1000
c. SEM
d. RPD2000
e. DM1000
f. IRT1000/2000
g. MPS
h. NC1500
i. SE1010
j. DSR4402X

2. The ACE program charges an annual fee. Each ACE contract is individually
priced per the equipment your site chooses to cover. Generally speaking ACE is
cheaper than purchasing spares for all your headend devices.

3. For more information on the ACE Program, please contact the Motorola Contract
Management Group at 215-323-2390.

4. The alternate to ACE is to purchase spare equipment. For the NAS-RAC

headends, Motorola recommends that you purchase spares of the following
equipment at a minimum: DSR4400MD, SEM, OM, VPN (Netscreen 5GT).
However, to truly safeguard your system, at least one backup of each working
device is warranted.

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 NAS-RAC SYSTEM SUPPORT
This section provides you with important customer support procedures and
contact information. NAS-RAC offers specialists in all areas of digital cable and strives
to provide accurate and expedient resolution of every call that falls within the service
scope of NAS-RAC. All customer-impacting problems are escalated to involve the
proper resources to resolve the issue in an expedient manner. Once the problem is
resolved, all involved parties are appropriately notified.
Additionally, NAS-RAC sends notifications when adjustments to the NAS-RAC
system will impact your day-to-day operations. Understanding who to call and when to
call them will ensure your system receives the appropriate level of support. The following
page is a matrix to help with that decision.

WHO TO CALL WHEN TO CALL

OPERATIONS Support for NAS-RAC
1-877-791-7722 Option 2, Option 1
Or
http://nasrac.motacc.net
• Channel Maps
• Source ID’s
• Polling Schedules
TECHNICAL Support for NAS-RAC
1-877-791-7722 Option 2, Option 2
Or
https://businessonline.motorola.com
• Boxes not receiving Guide
• Billing System errors
• Polling problems
• VPN
Motorola Equipment Repair Facility
1-800-227-0450
-Configuration changes such as, adding
new equipment, channel map changes,
settop parameter changes, polling
frequency changes, etc.
-Request special reports on information
pertaining to your system.
-Request settop code download changes.
-PPV schedule questions or problems.
-Check status of an operational issue ticket.
-Technical questions or assistance in
troubleshooting NAS-RAC headend
devices.
-Assistance in configuring new Motorola
devices in the headend.
-Troubleshooting settop-polling issues.
-Order new equipment.
-Billing connectivity issues such as, billing
errors, lost transactions, problems
uploading PPV transactions, etc.
-Check status of an equipment order.
-Check status of a technical issue ticket.
-Motorola documents, technical bulletins,
and installation manuals.
-Repair equipment and get an RSA number.
-Check status of an RSA number.

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 HITS Transport Authorizations
1-800-426-7790 or www.HITS.com
Cancom Transport Authorizations
(Canadian only)
800-268-2943
Interactive/Electronic Guide Support
TV Guide Support @ 1-800-725-1233
Aptiv Digital Inc. (Pioneer)
@ 1-818-295-6656
Microsoft TV Foundation Edition
@ 1-650-693-1001
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-Decrypt/Satellite Authorizations for HITS
services.
-Question on Receiver settings for HITS
transponders.
-Decrypt/Satellite Authorizations for
Canadian services.
-Questions on Receiver setting for Cancom
transporders.
-Guide related questions or technical
assistance.
-Guide data availability and accuracy.
-Frequency of data updates and loading.
-Menu option and logo information.
-Source id and MCA value information.
-Call Letter information
-Guide features.
-Upcoming Guide Upgrades.
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