- Solstice Documentation
- Solstice Release Notes
- Solstice Version 3.X Release Notes
Solstice Version 3.X Release Notes
Release notes for Solstice versions 3.0.1 to 3.5 are shown below, listed from most to least recent. Release notes for the most current version of Solstice can be found here.
New Features
Support for Miracast streaming. Miracast-enabled Windows and Android devices can now stream to Mersive Solstice Pods via the Miracast streaming protocol without the need for the Solstice user app.
Support for up to four simultaneous Miracast streams from Windows 8, 10, and Android devices with Miracast capabilities.
All Miracast features are supported, including second screen and confidence monitor for presenters.
Support for Miracast streaming via WiFi Direct connections and/or over the existing IT network infrastructure (Windows 10 devices only).
The Solstice Pod’s wireless network interface card must be enabled to support Miracast discovery. For the best experience, the Solstice Pod should be deployed on the user network via Ethernet with the Pod’s wireless network interface card enabled to facilitate Miracast discovery.
Miracast support is available on Solstice Pod Gen2i hardware only.
Solstice screen key support for Miracast connections is available via WiFi Direct only.
New Enterprise Edition Features
Spoken screen key. When this Solstice Pod feature is enabled, the four-digit screen key will be ‘spoken’ from the Solstice-enabled display’s audio output when a user attempts to connect. The screen key will be spoken a maximum of once every 10 seconds if multiple connection attempts occur in short succession. The screen key is enabled separately; both must be enabled for a screen key to be spoken.
Solstice Dashboard Release Notes
Miracast streaming configuration. Enterprise Edition Solstice Pods can now be configured via the Solstice Dashboard to support streaming from Miracast-enabled Windows and Android devices without the need for the Solstice user app via the Miracast protocol. Miracast streaming can be enabled on the ‘Appearance and Usage’ tab of the Solstice Dashboard under the ‘Client Sharing Options’ using one of the following modes.
Miracast – Stream video over WiFi Direct. Content streams over a peer-to-peer WiFi Direct connection. Supports all Miracast-enabled user devices as well as screen key authentication (when screen key is enabled for the Solstice Pod).
Miracast – Stream video over existing network. Initial connections are established via WiFi Direct but all content streams over the existing network. Compatible with Windows 10 devices only; screen key not supported in this mode.
Both Miracast modes enabled. When both Miracast modes are enabled, initial connections are established via WiFi Direct and the existing network will be used for streaming if possible. Otherwise, the Pod auto-switches to the WiFi Direct for streaming content. Screen key not supported in this mode.
Spoken screen key configuration. Enterprise Edition Solstice Pods can now be configured on the ‘Appearance and Usage’ tab in the Solstice Dashboard to ‘speak’ the four-digit screen key from the Solstice-enabled display’s audio output when a user attempts to connect. The screen key feature itself is enabled separately on the ‘Security’ tab of the Solstice Dashboard; both features must be enabled for the screen key to be spoken.
Local over-the-air Solstice Pod update method. For the best upgrade experience, Solstice Pods should have access to the Internet to complete over-the-air (OTA) updates directly from the Mersive update server. If Pods do not have Internet access, either direct or through a proxy server, there is a new ‘Local OTA’ method introduced with the 3.5 Dashboard for upgrading beyond the initial 3.5 release. The Local OTA method allows Pod admins to download the Solstice upgrade file from mersive.com/download/, manually place it on a local web server, and configure Pods to point to the local web server for updates in the Dashboard ‘Network’ tab. Please see http://www.mersive.com/updating-solstice for more information.
Fixes and Enhancements
General usability improvements.
Availability and Requirements of Software Upgrades
Solstice 3.5 (11296) software upgrades are available for all components of the Solstice product suite:
Solstice Pod
Solstice Dashboard
Solstice Discovery Service
Solstice user apps
Visit mersive.com/download/ to access all updates. Current Solstice software maintenance is required to upgrade Solstice Pods and Windows Software licenses to the latest 3.5 version. Remember to update Solstice Dashboard instances before updating Solstice Pods and Windows Display Software licenses.
Fixes and Enhancements:
When Solstice Discovery Service (SDS) is deployed and Mersive Solstice Pods, user apps, Dashboard and/or Windows Display Software instances cannot reach SDS due to unavailability on the network, the number of attempts to reconnect to SDS have been significantly reduced to use fewer network resources and mitigate potential adverse impacts to network performance.
Solstice Dashboard Release Notes:
When Solstice Discovery Service (SDS) is deployed and the Mersive Solstice Dashboard cannot reach SDS due to unavailability on the network, the number of attempts to reconnect to SDS have been significantly reduced to use fewer network resources and mitigate potential adverse impacts to network performance.
Fixes and Enhancements:
Improved the performance and reliability of AirPlay connections when the Solstice Pod is deployed in dual network mode.
Resolved an issue where the Solstice display screen would not fully clear upon the last user disconnecting from sessions with content stacks.
Resolved an issue causing the time-since-last-connection API call to return an inaccurate result.
Other general stability enhancements.
New Features:
Support added for streaming video content from the iOS YouTube app via AirPlay.
When shared via the iOS YouTube app, videos stream directly to the Pod from the internet (not through the iOS user device), reducing network bandwidth and increasing performance.
Videos automatically play at full resolution on the Solstice-enabled display.
Solstice Pods and Windows Display Software host PCs must have internet access to support iOS YouTube app streaming. If the Solstice endpoints don’t have internet access, iOS users can still stream YouTube videos via AirPlay from YouTube.com (instead of via the iOS YouTube app).
Solstice release version number format changes fromx.y.zversion numbering to the newx.y. (5 digit build number)format to improve version control and modernize the Solstice version paradigm.
New Enterprise Edition Features:
Enterprise Edition Solstice Pods now support playback of HTML digital signage feeds and other web-based content when displays are not in active use for meetings.
When enabled and configured via the Solstice Dashboard, Solstice Pods shows web-based content from a source URL when no users are connected, including digital signage feeds and/or other HTML content.
Three signage modes are available, including full screen mode as well as options to overlay Solstice user connection instructions, calendar information, and footer.
The Solstice digital signage feature can be configured to start 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, or 10 minutes after the last user disconnects from the Pod.
(Digital signage feature not available for Solstice Windows Display Software licenses.)
Enterprise Edition Solstice Pods and Windows Display Software licenses now ship with the modern welcome screen. This will not affect existing Solstice endpoints with the classic welcome screen enabled that update to version 3.4.
(Standard Edition Solstice Pods and Windows Display Software licenses will continue to ship with the classic welcome screen by default.)
Fixes and Enhancements:
If a Windows user has an SCCM/MSI Solstice user app installed and attempts to connect via the Quick Connect webpage, the existing SCCM/MSI Solstice app will be detected and launched instead of an additional Solstice app being installed.
The gateway check feature is disabled by default for new standard and enterprise Pods. This will not affect existing Pods where gateway check has been enabled previously. Additionally, the gateway check configuration has been added to the web and local Configuration Panels for the Solstice Pod.
(Gateway check feature does not apply to Solstice Windows Display Software licenses.)
Network hardening and infrastructure improvements to better support a broad range of IT network conditions, especially for large scale Solstice deployment. This includes better handling of network security scans.
Solstice Dashboard Release Notes:
New Kepler tab in the Solstice Dashboard. Kepler is Mersive’s upcoming deployment monitoring and meeting analytics service. Initially Dashboard users can sign up to be notified when Kepler launches via the Kepler tab in the Dashboard. Following the Kepler launch, the Kepler tab in the Dashboard will be used to create a Kepler account and onboard Solstice Pods to the cloud-based Kepler portal.
Enterprise Edition Solstice Pods can now be configured via the Solstice Dashboard to support playback of HTML digital signage feeds and other web-based content when displays are not in active use for meetings.
The new Digital Signage tab of the Solstice Dashboard provides all configuration options for the Digital Signage feature.
Solstice Pods shows web-based content from a source URL when no users are connected, including digital signage feeds and/or other HTML content.
Three signage modes are available, including full screen mode as well as options to overlay Solstice user connection instructions, calendar information, and footer.
The Solstice digital signage feature can be configured to start 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, or 10 minutes after the last user disconnects from the Pod.
(Digital signage feature not available for Solstice Windows Display Software licenses.)
The gateway check feature is disabled by default in the Network tab of the Solstice Dashboard for new Pods. This will not affect existing Pods where gateway check has been enabled previously.
Availability and Requirements of 3.4 Software Updates
Solstice 3.4 software upgrades are available for all components of the Solstice product suite:
Solstice Pod
Solstice Dashboard
Solstice Discovery Service
Solstice Display Software for Windows
Solstice user apps
Visit mersive.com/download/ to access all updates. Current Solstice software maintenance is required to upgrade Solstice Pods and Windows Software licenses to version 3.4. Remember to update Solstice Dashboard instances before updating Solstice Pods and Windows Display Software licences.
Fixes and Enhancements
Improvements to EDID handling for certain displays/devices.
New Features
Minimal Solstice App User Interface on MacOS and Windows Devices. The Solstice app automatically minimizes to the top of the screen when a user shares their entire desktop.
BETA – Windows Virtual Machine (VM) Support for Solstice User App. The Solstice app is now supported on Windows Server for virtual machine environments.
Expanded Support for Microsoft Installer (MSI). Administrators may now silently install/update the Solstice user app for Windows with additional configuration options, such as disabling automatic startup and specifying the relevant SDS server.
Additional SDS Logging Control. Administrators may now configure a registry value that determines how long an inactive Solstice Pod should remain in the SDS directory.
New Enterprise Edition Features:
802.1x Ethernet Support. Certificates may now be loaded into the Dashboard to facilitate connections between the user app and the Solstice Pod over existing 802.1x Ethernet infrastructure.
Support for SSL Certificates. Administrators may now load a certificate to prevent users from seeing a browser warning when they attempt to access the Solstice Quick Connect, browser look-in, and web configuration pages of a Solstice Pod.
Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) Support. Administrators may choose to show the fully qualified domain name, if available, on the Solstice display.
Enhanced Calendar API Command Set. The OpenControl API may now interact with an authenticated Microsoft Exchange calendar to dynamically read, write, and delete meetings.
Software Restart API Command. The OpenControl API may now restart the Solstice software without performing a complete reboot of the Solstice Pod.
Fixes and Enhancements
Security enhancements have been made to improve the install process and prevent brute force attacks.
Solstice Dashboard New Features
802.1x Ethernet Support. Administrators may now load a certificate into the Dashboard to facilitate connections between the user app and the Solstice Pod over existing 802.1x Ethernet infrastructure.
Solstice Pod Support for SSL Certificates. Administrators may now load a certificate into the Dashboard to prevent users from seeing a browser warning when they attempt to access the Solstice Quick Connect, browser look-in, and web configuration pages of a Solstice Pod.
Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) Support. Administrators may choose to show the fully qualified domain name, if available, on the Solstice display.
General bug fixes and enhancements.
Bug Fixes
Resolved an issue with assignment of static IP addresses.
Resolved an issue that would cause Multi-Room sessions to be prematurely ended.
Improvements to 802.1x wireless authentication.
Improvements to Gateway Check settings.
Solstice Dashboard Bug Fixes
General usability improvements to the Solstice Dashboard.
New Features
New capabilities of the OpenControl API:
Room scheduling data may now be read via ‘GET’.
Gateway check control is now exposed.
On the modern welcome screen, the customizable background images now have improved animations.
International language support added to include French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Chinese Traditional.
Japanese translations updated.
Fixes and Enhancements:
Improvements to the Solstice Dashboard related to the speed and performance of Pod statuses and read/write configuration.
Improvements to Microsoft Exchange Server calendar integration.
Solstice user app improvements:
Improved the usability of the Pod discovery panel.
MacOS user app now leverages standard CFPreferences for application preferences management.
Enterprise .msi installer is now available for the Solstice Windows client application.
Improved sharing performance on Surface Books and Surface Pros.
Resolved macOS AirPlay connection issue.
Addressed Multi-Room configuration issues.
Audio streaming no longer lags when video sharing is paused and resumed.
Improved overall stability for Android and iOS apps.
Fixes and Enhancements
Improved support for EDID (Extended Display Identification Data) resolution and refresh rates for specific displays.
Resolved an issue where Pods on an isolated network would not update successfully when using a proxy to connect to the internet.
New Features (Enterprise Only)
New, Redesigned Welcome Screen: The welcome screen has been updated to support several important new features:
Existing welcome screen customizations are retained in ‘classic’ mode but you may enable ‘modern’ mode to see and use the features listed below:
First time user instructions are presented in a simplified step-by-step manner.
Reactive screen key. When a user begins the connection process, the screen key will grow help users find and read the on-screen.
The SSID of the wireless network can optionally be presented as part of the on-screen instructions.
DNS Support – if a Pod’s IP Address is listed in a DNS server, the welcome screen shows the DNS name and not the IP address as part of the getting started instructions.
Up to 6 different background images, customizable.
On screen room calendar display (see feature below).
Room Scheduling via Calendar Integration: Solstice shows the upcoming meetings for the room on the welcome screen.
Integrates with Microsoft Exchange and Office 365 to automatically maintain an updated room calendar.
Calendar support for any 3rd party calendar system via the Solstice OpenControl API.
Supports various Exchange/O365 authentication modes:
Resource calendars for meeting rooms or other shared resources
Direct account access for personal and in-office wall displays
Impersonation accounts
Account delegation
Easy to view ‘In-Use’ or ‘Available’ indicators in Solstice apps so that users can find open rooms for ad-hoc meetings.
A straightforward display of upcoming meetings during the day gives users a simple way to know when a room may be used/empty.
Export managed display list from the Solstice Dashboard: The Dashboard can now export a list of managed displays to a human-readable file. The file contains the display name, the IP Address, and the Device ID for all managed displays, or a selected sub-set. This file can be imported into another Dashboard instance or used to collect Device IDs for co-terming maintenance or other administrative tasks. WiFi Certificate Installation: Solstice Pods can now accept a new WiFi certificate for 802.1X networks. The Solstice Dashboard can upload a certificate generated by a Certificate Authority to ensure the identity of a Pod when attaching as a wireless client to the enterprise network. WiFi Channel Selection for WAP Mode (Gen2i Hardware Only): The wireless access point of the Solstice Pod can be configured to use a specific wireless channel. Channels across both the 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz ranges are available.
New Features
In-app Room Availability: The Solstice app will indicate room availability in the ‘discovery’ panel, based on current connection and calendar scheduling information. This gives users an easy mechanism to find open rooms directly on their mobile device, based on how much longer the rooms will be free. OpenControl API Extensions: The OpenControl API has received several new REST calls to expose additional functionality to 3rd party systems. These extensions include the following capabilities:
Set custom background images
Control welcome screen messaging including RSS feeds and custom message tickers
Control emergency broadcast state
Check for and initiate software updates
Read current software version
Reboot Pod
Redesigned QuickConnect Web Page: The new design displays a background image that is independent of the customized welcome screen image(s) and is optimized for readability and user experience. Name Your Wired Network: The Dashboard now allows you to give your internal or wired network a meaningful name, instead of the default ‘Internal’.
Fixes and Enhancements
Improved stability and reliability.
Resolved issue where Pod would not find an available update if connected to two networks and the WiFi network did not have access to the internet.
Improved performance on Windows apps when sharing desktop or app windows.
Improved performance, reduced bandwidth of RSS scrolling.
Enhanced image quality when sharing from high resolution devices.
Reduced bandwidth of streams that are in the dock.
Fixed issue where sharing notifications would appear too frequently.
Resolved issue on the Pod where rolling back to a previous version could cause instability.
Improved stability when using AirPlay to share to Solstice.
Resolved issue that would prevent SLR updates when guest configuration was disabled.
Resolved issue that would disallow OpenControl API calls when guest configuration was disabled.
Resolved issue that could prevent Mac OS X apps from updating successfully when connecting to a newer Solstice display.
Notes
Version 3.1 Dashboard is required to manage 3.1 Solstice displays. It is highly recommended that you update the Dashboard prior to updating displays. You can get the latest version of the Solstice Dashboard here. Support for Windows XP client discontinued.
Fixes and Enhancements
Added support for iOS 11. (Note: Solstice iOS user apps must also be updated to the latest version for full iOS 11 support.)
Added support for macOS High Sierra.
Improved video streaming performance for Microsoft SurfaceBook/SurfacePro platforms running Windows 10.
Enterprise Only
New configuration option added in the Solstice Dashboard to disable periodic network status checks for Solstice hosts.
Fixes and Enhancements
Fixed an issue that could cause a blank box to appear on the display while mirroring with AirPlay.
Improved tolerance of inconsistent network conditions and overall uptime.
Resolved ‘incorrect screen key’ error that could appear when the correct screen key was entered.
Resolved issue in Solstice Display Software for Windows where settings could fail to save properly.
Fixed issue that could result in an OpenControl API call failing unnecessarily.
Other general improvements to product stability and reliability.
Multi-Room (Enterprise Only)
See the Multi-Room User Guide. Multi-Room allows Pods in multiple locations on your network to collaborate in a single, unified session. Content from any user in any location will be synced in real-time across each participating location.
Multi-Room Features (Enterprise Only)
New Menu for Meeting Options: A ‘Meeting’ menu has been added to the Solstice App. From here, users can easily start a Multi-Room session when connected to a Pod.
Session Names: Multi-Room sessions can be given descriptive names by end users.
Arbitrary Audio Bridge Support: Users have the ability of adding supplemental audio bridge information. Solstice will parse the audio bridge and create clickable links to easily integrate any audio service.
Invites: Users can quickly invite other team members to join an existing Multi-Room session within the app. The invite opens an email with an embedded invite link for easy distribution. The invite link can also be copy/pasted for arbitrary use.
Group Chat: When in a Multi-Room session, a new navigation tab is available in the app which will allow users to chat with other session participants. Chat messages can contain clickable URLs. This tab will also provide an overview of who is connected and from which room.
Auto-Complete During Session Initiation: For ease of use, the Solstice App will remember previously used session names and audio bridge information. When starting a new session, this content will auto-complete for quicker start times.
Intuitive Joining of Sessions: Users will see ongoing Multi-Room sessions in the discovery panel of the app. Joining a Multi-Room session uses the same workflow as joining a single Solstice display, requiring little-to-no training for end users.
Routing of Content Video and Audio: During a Multi-Room session, Solstice will automatically route all content to be visible on each participating display. Content audio will also be delivered and synchronized with the video, regardless of network latency.
Welcome Screen Updates: When in a Multi-Room session, the welcome screen (splash screen) of the display will be updated to reflect the pertinent info for end users.
Ability to Disable Multi-Room: Administrators have the ability (via the Dashboard) to disable any Pod from being able to start a session.
Authentication Model Improvements (Enterprise and Standard)
Based on customer feedback and user testing, the methods for users to authenticate when connecting to Solstice displays has been simplified and refined.
Authentication Model Features
Screen Key with Moderator Mode: With 3.0, displays can support Screen Key as well as Moderator Mode simultaneously.
Password-Free Moderator Mode: Moderator Mode has been enhanced to be simpler and more user friendly. It can be enabled at any time by connected users. The one who enables Moderator Mode becomes the moderator and can promote others to also be moderators.
Simplified Connections in Moderator Mode: With Moderator Mode enabled, new users are no longer forced to choose to connect as guest or host, simplifying the workflow and reducing confusion. The privilege level of new connections will be determined by existing moderator(s).
Easy Configuration for Admins: Administrators have the ability to completely disable Moderator Mode on any Solstice Display. They also have the ability to enable or disable Screen Key in parallel. Screen Key is no longer a ‘determine at runtime’ option for end users.
Security Updates
Solstice passes penetration testing for secure deployment. Solstice 3.0 introduces numerous enterprise network/admin security improvements (beyond penetration testing requirements) as a result of our diligent attention to security. We recommend that you keep your software up to date as a best practice. Please contact Mersive support for a complete summary of these security updates.
Other Features
Flow Control Network Connectivity: A flow control algorithm has been added to streaming traffic that will automatically adjust streaming rate based on current network quality. This is especially effective for Multi-Room sessions where routes to participating locations may vary greatly in latency or other conditions.
Auto-Reconnect and Connection Stability: Solstice has been enhanced to handle short interruptions in network connectivity without disconnecting the user and removing shared content, providing a more stable, robust experience in unreliable network conditions.
QuickConnect Webpage to Auto-Launch App if Previously Installed: The QuickConnect page hosted on each Solstice instance will now auto-launch a previously installed app without having to download anything from the display. If no previous install is detected, users will still download and connect similar to previous versions.
Captive Portal Support: Pods will now support attaching to networks that use Captive Portal authentication.
File-Based License Updates (Enterprise Only): For deployments without internet access, Solstice licenses can now be updated by a file based mechanism distributed via the Dashboard.
Design & Usability Improvements
Icons and Aesthetic Improvements: The Solstice app has been enhanced with a more representative icon set and layout/color changes for more intuitive use.
Readability: Text and background colors in certain parts of the UI have been modified to comply with accessibility guidelines for readability.
Welcome Screen Design Improvements: Default artwork for the Welcome Screen (Splash Screen) has been updated.
Notes
Previous Authentication Options Removed: Some of the previous authentication options have been removed. Global Password was removed. The ability to have Screen Key determined at runtime was removed. Moderator Mode can no longer be password protected.
Solstice Display / App Compatibility: Due to changes in the authentication protocol, to use a 3.0+ Solstice Display, a 3.0+ Solstice app is required. Users with a 2.x app will be prompted to upgrade upon a connection attempt to a 3.0+ display. The upgrade process is simple and automatic, with the new app automatically downloaded and launched (with the exception of mobile apps, which must be downloaded from their respective store).
Solstice Apps are Backwards Compatible: After users have the updated app on their device, they’ll be able to use it to connect to previous versions of Solstice Displays.
Multi-Room Requirements: For a display to participate in Multi-Room sessions, Screen Key must be enabled (Dashboard will warn you if you attempt to disable Screen Key with Multi-Room enabled).
Multi-Room Connectivity: For Pods to participate in Multi-Room sessions, they must be reachable within your organization’s network infrastructure. No routing through the cloud is provided – this is for security and performance reasons.
All Components Required to Update: For 3.0 features to function properly, all Solstice components (displays, user apps, Dashboard, and SDS) must be updated to 3.0+.
Minimum Dashboard Requirement: To manage 3.0+ displays, the 3.0 Dashboard must be used. We highly recommend updating the Dashboard before updating displays.
Minimum Hardware Requirement: Solstice 3.0 and beyond will be supported on gen 2 and gen 2i Pods only. If you have gen 1 hardware, please contact customerrelations@mersive.com for a special offer on hardware upgrades.