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Site Manager, Device Manager, and the Cognio DesignOps Application

Overview

A Cognio system has three layers working together:

  • Cognio DesignOps — the graphical interface you use to design, configure, and control a system.
  • Site Manager — the engine running on your computer that the app sits on top of. It is the brains of your design environment.
  • Device Manager — the engine running on every Cognio device. It is the brains inside the hardware.

In short, the app is what you see, Site Manager is the brain on your computer, and Device Manager is the brain on each device.

Site Manager

Site Manager runs on your computer and does the real work behind the app. The Cognio DesignOps app is the visual front end; Site Manager is the engine underneath it that holds your site design, performs processing, and talks to the hardware.

Site Manager is also the orchestrator. It coordinates every device in the system, pushes your design out to the hardware, and keeps everything in sync. When you make a change in the app, Site Manager is what carries that change down to the devices.

Site Manager has all the same code as Device Manager running on your Smart Devices. This is what enables full Offline Emulation in Cognio DesignOps.

When you launch DesignOps, Site Manager is launched as well as a background application. You should never have to interact with Site Manager directly, but there are times where it is good to understand the distinction to better comprehend the operation and behavior.

Device Manager

Every Cognio device runs Device Manager. It is the brains on the hardware, responsible for running the audio processing, control, and I/O assigned to that device.

Device Manager is actually the same software as Site Manager, simply running in a different mode. Instead of orchestrating a whole site from your computer, each device runs that same engine in device mode to handle its own piece of the system. Because every device runs the same proven engine, the behavior you design on your computer is the behavior you get on the hardware.

Site Manager orchestrates; Device Manager executes. Together they let a single design span one device or hundreds, all driven from the Cognio app.