GeoVision Server

[ClosedCircuitCom 0]

I am starting on a machine that will remotely monitor and record my clients camera systems, jus in case of theft of the actually system they can always come back to me and say hey i just got robbed the guy took my camera system with him and i can pull up info and send it to the police, this machine will also be used for Remote Storage for clients who wish to store more days of video, we will also be doing remote monitoring for alarm incidents. Any know the system requirements for CenterV and any comments would be excellent.

 

Specs I'm thinking of

-Dual Xenon 3 GHZ/ea

-2 gigs ram

-256Mb video card

-DVD-R

- 4 swappable 400 Gig Hard drives

- 1 internal 20 Gig HD 10,000 Rpm

-Supermicros Barebone http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16856101520

[kandcorp 0]

Question...

 

What software will be used to record the video on the server side?

[ClosedCircuitCom 0]

CenterV will be used to record the audio/video

[spyguy 0]

Sounds like a good idea.

 

I've never been able to find system requirements for CenterV2 but I have installed it in several sites and have had it running successfully for a few years now.

 

The spec you have above should be considerably more than adequate.

 

Are you aware of the USB license key requirement above five sites? I think the current USB keys open up 20 users per Center application. I have one customer running three CenterV2's through one Dispatch server. It's pretty slick actually.

 

Another client is currently using the CenterV2 as its primary long term file storage vessel. The have four GV systems running on one manned security office, all four stream to one CenterV2, then the CenterV2 stores all video from all four systems on one large storage array in their network room. So far, the CenterV2 has been an excellent tool for combining all of the feeds from one campus and saving them in a central location for long term archiving.

 

The CenterV2 also looks really sharp when displayed on two 42inch plasma screens. I like splitting the view and moving the log onto a separate screen better than having it all in one place.

[ClosedCircuitCom 0]

does Center V2 require the dispatch server? or can i buy just the center app and have my clients connect directly?

 

as you can tell i dont have any expierence with these 2 apps but i know the geo system in and out, looking for help here

[scottj 0]

Its a great idea, just hope you have enough bandwidth to support it.

 

 

Scottj

[ClosedCircuitCom 0]

T1 should cover the bandwidth shouldnt it? say about 20 clients to start off

[scottj 0]

Its going to be pushing it. Really depends on how you plan on monitoring them. You can send images versus live video, that will help. A full T1 or a partial?

 

 

Scottj

[ClosedCircuitCom 0]

Full T1 not all clients will have constant monitoring some will just dump at end of day or week some will be recording live.

[scottj 0]

Quite a few variables to consider here first. If you have the ability to play around with CenterV2, I would suggest doing so. Setup a demo site remotely and stream a few cameras back to your monitoring station to baseline your bandwidth usage. I think the best way to approach this is to test it on a smaller scale for awhile and see if you have the resources.

 

Scottj

[ClosedCircuitCom 0]

Remember most of the bandwidth i will be using will be DL not UL also i can also attach to a shared T1 with another NIC so i dont think it would be too much of a problem, figure 10-15 clients have live recording the others would be storage.

 

How about a 6Mbit cable connection?

[scottj 0]

How exactly do you plan on backhauling the recorded video from each client? Are you going to record locally on their machines, then use a scheduled transfer to your offsite servers for archiving?, or are you going to be transmitting live video and using the functions of CenterV2 to record at your remote storage facility?

 

I honestly can't say it will work or not at this point since there are just so many variables here. Number of cameras per client?, etc.....

[ClosedCircuitCom 0]

some will be scheduled and others will be recorded live on my server and also on thier side. clients all range from the 4 - 16 camera range and one with 32 cameras.

 

Any one that has ever used Center V2 and Dispatch Server, please give me some FYI on how it actually works do i need both dispatch server and Center V2 to accomplish this mission?

[kandcorp 0]

Where can you get CenterV 2?

[ClosedCircuitCom 0]

Where ever you buy your Geo products

[scottj 0]

A minimal client (5 site) package comes at no additional charge with the Geo software/boards. For additional clients you have to purchase the upgrade. We have them as well as Dispatch Server.

 

ClosedCircuit,

 

Have you ever used CenterV2 before to test and play around with?

[ClosedCircuitCom 0]

no i havnt but now i will i didnt know 5 client licences come with the board.

[scottj 0]

Setup a couple of your existing clients with CenterV2 on their DVR's. Then install the client side of CenterV2 on your server and test it out for a week or so. This is going to give you an idea of the capability you will have, in additiona to how reliable it will be. If you are using DDNS on your client end, I woul recommend switching to static IP's. Although we have verified it still works using DDNS, if you are going to be offering remote monitoring service you will want to eliminate any potential network failures while monitoring and recording remotely.

 

Scottj

[rory 0]

yeah if your router crops out, like mine did, the DDNS server may not work at times, and then the DVR may have issues as the CenterV wont connect .. so static would be a better idea, or run a DDNS server on your Remote Server and direct to the Internet.

[kandcorp 0]

Does this software work with any other PC or S/A DVR's or is it only for Geovision DVR's?

[rory 0]

its created by Geo Vision for the cards they use, running the server software they created.

[ClosedCircuitCom 0]

Played around with centerV and it has the option to only view and record motion im guessing that would help out with the bandwidth problem, What type of internet connection would you use if you were in this situation, i was thinking that even my cable connection would be sufficient.

[ClosedCircuitCom 0]

i still have no clue what the dispatch server would be needed for

[GecGen 0]

I don't know the costs your getting this for, but you may want to consider the new Athlon X2, 3800+, or 4200+.

 

Because your only using 2gb of ram, you could easily get away with these chips, unregistered cheap ram, and you'd still have room to upgrade to 4gb if you wanted in the future. I don't know if youd need a high end video card since your probably not watching more than 16 channels at a time?

 

Id Consider Building

 

AMD Athlon 4200+ X2 (2 x 2.2 Ghz which in test are > 2 xeon 3.4 ghz)

Asus A8N5X Mother Board

4 SATA Connectors, 2 IDE Connectors

2 GB Corsair 667 DDR Ram

2 Slots Free

DVD-R

ATI 9250 128 Mb Vcard

Many Combinations of Hard Drives, Up to 6.

You could use a WD Raptor 10000 rpm SATA, 74gb if you wanted a fast access hard drive, scores very close to scsi drives for less than half the price.

and or/ 4 x Hitachi 500GB Hard Drives

If you needed more room, you could always use the usb exterior hard drives. $30 per enclosure up to 10 usb drives.

 

This set up should be cheaper, and allow you to spend more money on Hard drives, or Ram, although 2 gb should be more than enough. You could even start with 1tb and add from there.

[ClosedCircuitCom 0]

i priced out my specs and everything came to $2,800

 

i tried building out your specs but im having trouble finding a case with 4 swappable Hd's