iNews NRCS Plugin Integration Guide

Configure iNews to use Kinetica as an HTML NRCS graphics plugin.

1. Prerequisites

• Kinetica server running and accessible from iNews workstations (HTTPS recommended)
• At least one template created in Kinetica Builder with exposed elements
• A Nexus user account for the plugin (recommended: create a dedicated service account with kinetica-operator role)
• An NRCS panel token generated (left panel)

2. Generate an Authentication Token

1. In the left panel, click Generate New Token
2. Give it a descriptive name (e.g. "iNews Production")
3. Select the user account the plugin will authenticate as — this determines what templates and actions are available
4. Choose an expiration period (1 year recommended for production)
5. Click Generate Token and copy the token immediately

3. Choose a Network Path

Before configuring iNews, determine whether your network allows iNews to make outbound TCP connections to the Kinetica server on ports 10540 and 10541 (the MOS protocol ports). This determines which panel URL to use.

Network	Path	Panel URL parameter
iNews can reach Kinetica on TCP 10540/10541	Path A — Standard	(none)
Those ports are blocked or unavailable	Path B — Direct Push	&directPush=1

Path A — Standard (iNews → MOS → Kinetica)

iNews stores graphic items in stories and pushes them to Kinetica via the MOS protocol over TCP. The panel URL is:

{server}/kinetica/nrcs-panel.html?token={YOUR_TOKEN}

Path B — Direct Push (Restricted Network)

If iNews cannot reach Kinetica via MOS TCP, the NRCS panel pushes items directly to Kinetica over HTTPS from the journalist's browser — no MOS relay needed. Add &directPush=1 to the panel URL:

{server}/kinetica/nrcs-panel.html?token={YOUR_TOKEN}&directPush=1

Configure iNews (Administrator)

1. Open the iNews System Configuration utility
2. Navigate to Devices > MOS Devices
3. Add a new MOS device or edit the existing Kinetica device:

   Field	Value
   Device Name	Kinetica
   MOS ID	Must match the MOS Receiver's MOS ID in MOS Protocol settings (Path A only; Path B does not require MOS)
   Plugin Type	HTML Plugin
   Plugin URL	The panel URL for your chosen path (see above)

4. Save and restart the iNews server for changes to take effect

Workstation Setup

1. On each iNews workstation, open Tools > Options > Plugins
2. The Kinetica plugin should appear in the plugin list (configured by admin above)
3. Enable the plugin and dock the panel to a convenient location (typically right side of the story editor)
4. The plugin will automatically authenticate using the embedded token and display available templates

4. How It Works

The journalist experience is identical in both paths — the difference is how content reaches Kinetica:

1. Browse: Journalists see available Kinetica templates in the NRCS panel, organized by folder
2. Select output: Choose a CG channel from the output selector (top of panel) if multiple overlay instances are configured
3. Drag & Drop: Drag a template from the panel into an iNews story to insert a graphic item.
   • Path A: iNews sends MOS INSERT to Kinetica via TCP — item appears in Kinetica rundown within seconds
   • Path B: Panel sends HTTPS POST to Kinetica immediately — item appears before iNews finishes processing
4. Edit: Double-click an existing graphic item in iNews to open it in the editor with its saved overrides. Make changes and click Update Graphic to save.
   • Path A: iNews sends MOS UPDATE to Kinetica
   • Path B: Panel sends HTTPS PUT to Kinetica
5. Delete: Removing a graphic from the iNews story sends a delete notification.
   • Path A: iNews sends MOS DELETE to Kinetica
   • Path B: Panel receives iNews postMessage and sends HTTPS DELETE to Kinetica. If the panel is not open, a 30-second heartbeat handles cleanup automatically.
6. Playout: Overdrive Template Editor fires the graphic via CII using the item ID stored in the iNews story

5. MOS Protocol Setup (Path A only)

Path A requires a running MOS receiver. Skip this section if using Direct Push (Path B).

• Configure a MOS Receiver in the MOS Protocol admin page
• The receiver must have an overlay output assigned
• The MOS ID must match between the iNews device config and the Kinetica receiver
• If using Overdrive CII, the receiver output must be linked to the same overlay instance as the CII buffer mapping — see Overdrive
• Templates should have a MOS Item Slug set (Templates page > template settings)

6. Template Setup for iNews

For templates to work well with iNews:

1. Open the template in Kinetica Builder
2. Mark elements that journalists should edit as Exposed (properties panel > Exposed toggle)
3. Give exposed elements clear, descriptive Element IDs (e.g. headline, subline, team_logo)
4. Set the MOS Item Slug on the Templates page (e.g. lower-third, full-frame)
5. The slug appears as the item type in iNews and is used for template matching

7. Token Management

Action	Effect
Revoke	Token stops working immediately. Record is kept for audit trail. Can be deleted later.
Delete	Token and all records are permanently removed. Cannot be undone.
User deactivated	All tokens for that user stop working automatically. Re-activate the user to restore them.
Token expired	Token stops working at the expiry time. Generate a new one and update iNews config.

8. Security Recommendations

• Create a dedicated service account for the NRCS plugin (don't use a personal admin account)
• Assign the minimum role needed — kinetica-operator is sufficient for template browsing and MOS item creation
• Use HTTPS for the Kinetica server — tokens are transmitted in the URL and API headers
• Set token expiration to 1 year for production and rotate annually
• If a token is compromised, revoke it immediately and generate a replacement
• Monitor the Last Used timestamp — if a token hasn't been used in months, consider revoking it

9. Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Panel shows "Disconnected"	Check that the Kinetica server is running and reachable from the iNews workstation. Verify the URL is correct.
Panel shows login form	Token is missing, expired, or revoked. Generate a new token and update the plugin URL in iNews config.
No templates visible	Check that templates exist and the token's user has permission to view them.
Drag & drop doesn't insert (Path A)	Ensure the MOS device is configured correctly in iNews and the MOS receiver is running and linked in Kinetica.
Items not appearing in Kinetica (Path B)	Confirm ?directPush=1 is in the panel URL. Open browser DevTools on the NRCS panel and check for failed POST requests to /kinetica/api/nrcs/direct-submit. Verify the token is valid.
Deleted items still in Kinetica rundown (Path B)	The panel must be open when the journalist deletes an item for the immediate delete to fire. Items are also reconciled via a 30-second heartbeat — stale items clear automatically while the panel is open. For complete cleanup at show boundaries, use the Reset Rundown action in Live Rundowns.
Graphics don't play out	Verify the overlay instance is configured and the CII listener is running with the correct buffer mapping (Overdrive page). For Path A, also verify the MOS receiver is linked to the same instance as the CII buffer.
Edit opens with wrong field values (Path B)	The panel fetches the freshest overrides from Kinetica on double-click. If the fetch fails, it falls back to the MOS XML values in iNews. Check browser console for errors and verify the token has read access.