Compiling our extensive Frequently Asked Questions below, Advantra offer you immediate responses to installation and product information. Advantra want to hear from you to provide support and informative solutions. Please complete the below form and Advantra’s customer service support will be in touch within 4 hours.
About activating licenses for XProtect Enterprise and SMB products
Before you activate your licenses, you must add the Software License Code (SLC) to your Software Registration account within MyMilestone. (If you do not already have a MyMilestone account, you must create one). When you have logged into My Milestone, navigate to Software Registration section of the
website, click the Add SLC, enter the SLC, then click Save.
Online activation
To perform online activation, first make sure you have connected the system to the Internet, then within the Management Application, click File – Activate License Online. Enter your user name and password, then click Activate. Added cameras are now licensed correctly.
Offline activation
If the system has no Internet connection, you must perform an offline activation once you have added your devices. To do this, first within the Management Application, click File – Activate License Offline. Then, click the Export button and save the .lrq (license request) file.
- Log into the Milestone Software Registration Center via MyMilestone
- Click the Upload License Request button
- Browse to find your saved .lrq file, then click Upload
- Click the email icon to receive the updated .lic file via email
Solution: N/A
- You can only use the maximum number of cameras registered with the license.
- You must activate the license after you have performed a software upgrade or service release upgrade (a, b, c, and so on) and when you add or remove a device.
Unable to add a camera to XProtect Enterprise and the XProtect SMB products
Solution:
Check the Downloads section of the Milestone website for a detailed list of supported devices. Milestone develops unique drivers for devices or device families, in addition to generic drivers for standards-based devices like ONVIF, PSIA or devices using the RTSP/RTP protocols. All devices specifically listed are supported by Milestone. Devices that are used under a generic driver and not specifically listed as supported may work, but Milestone is unable to provide support for them.
A device pack is a set of drivers built by Milestone installed to your XProtect software to interface with supported cameras. Support for new devices is added all the time and the device packs are released approximately every two months. Each device pack adds support for new devices, and solves issues reported on currently supported devices. If your device is already supported in the device pack currently installed, but an update is available, it is a good idea to install the updated version.
This may seem like a common-sense thing to check, but if you are unable to connect to a device using a web browser, or the software which came with it, then you will not be able to access the device using XProtect software. There are several methods to verify connectivity, including opening the device using a web browser, accessing the device with the vendor supplied software, the Windows ping utility, or Telnet. Check the documentation supplied with your device for information on network configuration. Keep in mind that the device may not use the common HTTP port (TCP 80) by default, or that you may have changed this during your initial configuration.
Similar to #3 above, if you cannot log in to the device through a web browser or vendor-supplied software, then you are unlikely able to add the device in XProtect® software. Verify that you have the correct log in credentials for the device. Also, many XProtect software versions require that you use a specific administrative account on the device – usually the default Administrator account. Check the XProtect Device Pack release notes for the required administrator user name, and ensure you can log in to the device with this account.
Windows Firewall can cause problems during the device configuration process as well as after the device has been successfully added. Normally, XProtect software will add exceptions to the Windows Firewall during installation, but this is not always the case. If you must leave Windows Firewall enabled, you will need to add exceptions for all XProtect services.
In the XProtect® Enterprise and any of the XProtect SMB(*) products, you can add a device with the default user name or specify a user name yourself. This is misleading though since this feature is device driver dependent. This means that model X from manufacturer Y may support the option of using non-default administrator user names, but model Z might still require the default user name. Sometimes, entering your own user name in this field can result in corrupt login credentials for the device.
When Milestone adds support for a device, a driver is built based upon the firmware version of the device in our lab. Most of the time, newer firmware versions will not ”break” support for devices, but old firmware versions often do not yet implement API features which XProtect expects the device to support. Newer firmware versions can also occasionally break backwards-compatibility, requiring you to roll back to a tested firmware version until Milestone can test and correct the driver for the newer firmware version.
Use and configure the Universal Driver
The Universal Driver was introduced to expand the number of devices which could be used with XProtect® software. Many devices use the RTP/RTSP streaming protocols, and the Universal Driver is designed to work with these. However, because not all manufacturers implement standards in the same way, not all RTP/RTSP devices will work using this driver. Due to the vast number of devices in the market, we cannot provide support for the Universal Driver beyond the content of this article.
Solution
Configuring the video stream
Any codec and streaming mode can be combined, provided standard RTP and HTTP protocols are used. Here is an explanation on the available fields:
Codec
Select among three supported video formats: MJPEG, MPEG4 and H.264.
Streaming Mode
- RTP – this mode uses the RTSP protocol to initiate the connection, while RTP (over UDP) is used for data transmission.
- RTP over RTSP – this mode uses the RTSP protocol to initiate the connection, and data is transmitted over a TCP connection.
- HTTP – this mode uses an HTTP GET request to initiate the connection and continues to use TCP for data transmission.
Delivery Mode (available only when streaming mode is HTTP)
- Multipart Stream – the data is streamed using multipart packaging (i.e. a stream with boundaries, with or without content length specified.)(See example 1 below).
- Non-Multipart Stream – the data is streamed as ”back to back”, meaning the images have only the relevant tags and that the start of the next image is delivered right after the end tag of the previous image (See example 2 below).
Data Format (only available if you choose H.264 codec)
- Annex B stream – this identifies a stream that uses a prefix defined in Annex B of
the H.264 standard. This defines that each NAL packet starts with the ”0x00
0x00 0x01” or ”0x00 0x00 0x00 0x01” tag. If you know that the device is using
this syntax, choose this setting. - Non-annex B stream – as described above, if you know that the Annex B tag is not provided, choose this setting. This will result in automatic insertion of this tag as this is a requirement in the decoder.
Keep Alive Type (only available if you choose RTP or RTP over RTSP streaming mode)
- Default – this is the default value that uses the most common keep-alive method.
- OPTIONS – this sends an OPTIONS request with the URL specified by the device to maintain the connection.
- OPTIONS (no url) – this sends an OPTIONS request without the URL specified by the device to maintain the connection.
- GET_PARAMETER – this sends a GET_PARAMETER request to maintain the connection.
- RTCP – this sends an RTCP request to maintain the connection.
- Never – in this case, keep-alive requests are not sent, the device must keep the connection open.
Retrieval Mode (only available when you select JPEG codec
- Streaming – this mode specifies that the images are retrieved by opening a connection and keeping it open.
- Snapshot – this mode specifies that the images are retrieved one at a time by connecting, getting an image, and then disconnecting.
Connection URI
You must enter the video stream connection string for your device in this field. Use the device API documentation or a tool like Wireshark to discover the correct URI (See example 3 below).
RTSP Port (only available if you choose RTP or RTP over RTSP streaming modes)
The default is 554. If you know the device uses an alternate RTSP port, enter it here. Note that you cannot change the port on the device from this dialog.
Configuring the Audio stream
It is recommended to get the video stream working before adding audio. Following are the configurable fields for audio:
Codec
There are 19 supported codecs. Whatever codec is selected here must match one of the available codecs on your device.
Streaming Mode
- RTP – Similar to Video streaming modes, RTP uses RTSP to request the stream, and then the data is streamed over UDP using the RTP protocol.
- RTP over RTSP – Audio streams over TCP.
- HTTP
Delivery Mode
- Multipart Stream
- Non-multipart Stream
Connection URI
You must enter the audio stream connection string for your device in this field. Use the device API documentation or a tool like Wireshark to discover the correct URI
RTSP Port
The default is 554. If you know the device uses an alternate RTSP port, enter it here. Note that you cannot change the port on the device from this dialog.
Examples
Example 1 – Multipart stream
–boundary
<DATA containing video/audio>
–boundary
Example 2 – Non-multipart stream
The following illustrates a JPEG non-multipart stream. FFD8 is the JPEG start tag, and FFD9 is the end tag.
FFD8<DATA>FFD9FFD8<DATA>FFD9FFD8<DATA>FFD9…
As you can see, there are no markers between the start and end tags.
Example 3 – Connection URI
The following is a connection URI example from an Axis VAPIX3 device:
“axis-media/media.amp?videocodec=h264″
Note that the field can actually be empty as some devices do not require more information other than an open connection.
Reduce high CPU usage in XProtect Smart Client
Decoding a video stream and displaying it is a processor-intensive process and can consume a considerable amount of CPU resources. Imagine a simple 4×4 view grid filled with cameras streaming in D1 resolution. That is roughly the equivalent of watching 16 DVD quality movies at once.
If the way you currently use XProtect® Smart Client is pushing the limits of your client PC, there are a few things you can do reduce the requirements of the client PC. Be aware though, that unless you reduce the overall video quality (image quality or frame rate), reducing the CPU requirements of the client PC will increase the CPU requirements of the server.
Solution:
1. Reduce the image quality in XProtect Smart Client.
When you build or modify a view in XProtect Smart Client, you can change the image quality from full to any other value. Doing so will reduce the image quality for live viewing and, therefore, the CPU requirements to decode that stream. This has no impact on the recorded image quality, or the live stream quality of another user viewing the same camera in a different view.
Important: When you change this setting in XProtect Smart Client, the Recording Server will “transcode” the actual video stream before it is sent to you. This means that the video will be converted from the original quality and codec to a reduced quality JPEG. This process is CPU- and memory-intensive. This entails that it should only be used when necessary and only if the Recording Server normally uses a low amount of CPU and memory. If the original stream was MPEG4 or H.264, then it is possible that the transcoded stream will actually consume more bandwidth between the server and the client.
2. Increase the maximum number of decoding threads.
For multi-core client PC’s, it is possible to increase the number of threads used to decode each stream. Up to eight threads can be used, depending on your CPU and the decoding method used. A higher number of threads will result in a higher amount of memory used by the XProtect Smart Client, so use this option when there is little risk of the XProtect Smart Client using 2 GB (on 32-bit OS) or 4 GB (on 64-bit OS) of virtual memory.
3. Reduce the stream resolution or frame rate, or view fewer cameras live.
The only other option to improve the performance of the XProtect Smart Client is to reduce the amount of work it is required to do. You can view fewer cameras at once, or change the quality or frame rate from the Recording Server.
Problems archiving to a network-attached storage (NAS)
XProtect® Enterprise, XProtect® Professional, and XProtect® Express are capable of archiving to a network-attached storage (NAS). Usually, if you are unable to archive to an NAS, it is a permission issue. Normally, Milestone services run under the Local System account, and this account does not have read or write access to NAS (or local drives with modified rights).
Solution:
Change user account settings to be able to archive to NAS.
1. Click Start, right-click Computer, and click Manage.
2. Expand Services and Applications, and select Services.
3. Locate the Milestone XProtect Recording Server service, double-click it and click the Log On tab.
4. Choose This Account, provide the user name/password for the local or network user account with full read and write permissions to the desired NAS and click OK.
5. Right-click the Milestone XProtect Recording Server service and select Restart.
6. For the Milestone Image Server service, repeat steps 3-5.
Problems archiving to a network-attached storage (NAS)
Solution:
1. Check that the Recording Server is running.
2. Check that the camera is scheduled to be online:
For XProtect® Corporate, check Rules and Time Profiles. Make sure that cameras are added to a rule that starts recording if the rule is based on a time profile, and make sure that the time profile is correct.
For XProtect® Enterprise and any of the XProtect® SMB products(*), check the Scheduler in the Management Application to make sure your cameras are scheduled to be online.
3. In the case of a MPEG-4 or H.264 codec-based device, check that a stream is actually received from the device by increasing the bit rate. The camera may not be able to provide a video stream at the selected bit rate.
(*) The XProtect SMB products (Small and Medium-sized Businesses) are: XProtect® Professional, XProtect® Express, XProtect® Essential and XProtect® Go.
XProtect Smart Client frequently shows the message “Server lost connection to camera” (Live video frequently drops out)
- Packet loss or insufficient network bandwidth
- Firewall or security software hindering or blocking video traffic
- Inefficient streaming mode/protocol set on the camera
- The Milestone Recording Server service is not running
Solution:
When frequent video dropouts or disconnects are observed, this is most commonly indicative of insufficient bandwidth or packet loss on the network.
There are certain tests, tips and tricks you can use to get the best possible connection to cameras managed in XProtect® software:
- Disable any firewall or security software that may be blocking or hindering video traffic.
- Check that the Recording Server service is running and has not stopped / terminated unexpectedly.
- Set a reasonable frame rate for the amount of bandwidth you have (for 3G networks, choose very low settings, such as 4 FPS).
- Increase compression on the camera image to achieve a small image file size (50% – 75% is a good range).
- If your camera supports a ‘streaming mode,’ try setting it to TCP or HTTP (avoid UDP).
- If you are using MPEG4 or H.264, try experimenting with Motion JPEG (this may give better connection stability over high-latency networks).
- Avoid attaching more than one network camera to any single cellular (3G/4G) data connection (or if you must, scale down the FPS and image file size appropriately).
- Use network packet analysis tools such as Wireshark (www.wireshark.org) to capture network traffic between the server and camera(s) to review for packet loss or other failures/breakdowns.
- Try disabling groupings of cameras on the system to free up resources and discover if the behavior improves.
About accessing recordings in XProtect clients over the Internet
You have successfully installed and configured your XProtect® Enterprise, XProtect® Professional, XProtect® Express, XProtect® Essential or XProtect® Go software, and you can also log in with XProtect® Smart Client from your Recording Server or other computers on the same local area network (LAN). Now, you want to access the system from home or on the road over the Internet.
There are two steps to enable Internet access for the majority of installations. First, enable Internet access in the Management Application. Second, configure your router to forward XProtect Smart Client traffic to your server.
Enable Internet access
1. Launch the Management Application on your Recording Server from Start > All Programs > Milestone > XProtect Management Application or by right-clicking on the Recording Server icon in your notification tray and selecting Open Management Application…
2. Expand the Advanced Configuration node on the left and select Server Access.
3. Check the box labeled Internet Access.
4. Enter your Internet address which will either be your public IP address, or a fully qualified domain name such as xprotect.mydomain.com.
You can find the correct public IP address by visiting a website like www.whatismyip.com in a web browser. If you do not have a static IP address, you may instead want to register with a dynamic DNS provider such as www.dyndns.com. These services integrate with most routers, and when the router gets a new IP address, it will notify the dynamic DNS provider so that “xprotect.dyndns.com” always points to your network for example. If you have a static IP address, you may still prefer to use DNS instead of an IP address in this field. If you have control over the DNS records for a domain you own, you can add a new “A” record pointing to your static IP address. If you choose this route, enter that record here as the Internet Address.
5. Enter your Internet port. While this can be just about any number between 1 and 65,535, it should normally be the same as the Local Port value.
Configure Port Forwarding
Configuring port forwarding is out of the scope of Milestone support; however, there are plenty of resources online if you need further assistance beyond the following general instructions.
In order to reach a computer on a private network from another network separated by the public internet (accessing your home network from work for example), the router at the location of the XProtect® installation will need to be configured to forward inbound traffic on a designated port to the internal IP address of your XProtect server. For XProtect Enterprise, XProtect Professional, XProtect Express, XProtect Essential or XProtect Go, the following ports should be forwarded:
- TCP port 80 – This is the default port your XProtect installation will listen on for XProtect Smart Client or XProtect® Remote Client connections, and when those clients request video, the requests will be made over this port.
- TCP port 1237 (optional) – This is the port the Event Server listens on. If you use maps, or alarm lists then you will need to forward this port.
- TCP port 9001 (optional) – This is the port XProtect® Transact listens on for client connections. This only needs to be forwarded if you use XProtect Transact to view and record point of sales transactions, or if you use XProtect Transact in conjunction with XProtect® Analytics to record license plates or other events of interest.
- TCP port 8081 (optional) – XProtect® Mobile server listens on this port for connections from XProtect Mobile clients running on smart phones or tablets. If you have the XProtect Mobile server installed, you should forward this port to allow remote access from XProtect Mobile clients.
Note: You may encounter a router which translates the source address of an inbound connection in addition to the destination address. When this happens, the connection appears to originate from within the same network since the source address of the connection is the LAN IP address of your router. This is unsupported by XProtect software since the software must determine whether you are a “local” or “outside” user, and will be unable to view video over the Internet.
Solution: N/A
Configure anti-virus software on XProtect systems
As is the case with any other database software, if an antivirus program is installed on a computer running XProtect® software, it is important that you exclude specific file types and locations, as well as certain network traffic. Without implementing these exceptions, virus scanning will use a considerable amount of system resources. On top of that, the scanning process can temporarily lock files which will likely result in a disruption in the recording process or even database corruption.
Solution:
When you need to perform virus scanning, do not scan Recording Server directories containing recording databases (by defaultc:\mediadatabase\, as well as all folders under that location). Also, avoid virus scanning on archive storage directories. In older versions of the software, the databases are by default located in the installation folder, each being a subfolder with the MAC address of the device recorded.
Create the following additional exclusions:
- File types: .blk, .idx, .pic, .pqz, .sts, .ts
- C:\Program Files\Milestone or C:\Program Files (x86)\Milestone and all subdirectories.
- Exclude network scanning on TCP ports
- XProtect® Corporate: 80, 8080, 7563, 25, 21, 9993
- XProtect® Enterprise: 80, 25, 21, 1234, 1237, 22331
- XProtect® Professional: 80, 25, 21, 1234, 1237, 22331
- XProtect® Express: 80, 25, 21, 1234, 1237, 22331
- XProtect® Essential: 80, 25, 21, 1234, 1237, 22331
- XProtect® Basis+: 80, 25, 21, 1234, 1237, 22331
- XProtect® Mobile: 8081
- XProtect® Transact: 9001
- Or exclude network scanning of the following processes
- XProtect Corporate: VideoOS.Recording.Service.exe, VideoOS.Server.Service.exe, VideoOS.Administration.exe
- XProtect Enterprise, XProtect Professional, XProtect Express, XProtect Essential and XProtect Basis+:RecordingServer.exe, ImageServer.exe, ManagementApplication.exe, ImageImportService.exe, RecordingServerManager.exe, VideoOS.ServiceControl.Service.exe, VideoOS.Event.Server.exe
- XProtect Mobile: VideoOS.MobileServer.Service.exe
- XProtect Transact: VideoOS.Transact.TransactService.exe
Organisations may have strict guidelines regarding virus scanning, however it is important that the above locations and files are excluded from virus scanning.
XProtect Service Channel communication is unstable
Description:
“Service Channel is Unstable” is displayed in an orange ribbon above your views when viewing video in the XProtect® Smart Client.
The error is usually caused by:
- A significant time difference between the XProtect Smart Client and the management server. Ideally, all servers and clients should be time-synchronized – or at least be within a few minutes of each other.
- In the XProtect® Management Client, the URL added in Tools, Registered Services, is not accessible from the PC running the XProtect Smart Client.
Solution:
1. Most installations within an Active Directory® Domain Services environment will already be time-synchronized. However, if not all clients are connecting from within the domain, make sure they are at least synchronized to within a few minutes of the management server. This can best be accomplished by configuring the client PC to use the same Network Time Protocol (NTP) server as the Domain Controller. Note that most public NTP servers will already be synchronized to within milliseconds of each other, so any NTP server will probably do. Synchronize all servers to solve the problem.
2. Check the XProtect® Service Channel URL listed in the XProtect Management Client under Tools, Registered Services. It should look like the example below. If the PC on which the XProtect Smart Client is running is unable to resolve the hostname or (if you do not use hostnames) reach the IP address of the XProtect Service Channel, you are certain to see this error message. To solve the problem, correct the URL.
Type Service Channel
Name Service Channel
URLs http://[hostname]:80/SCHServices/
Trusted YES
Description: Service Channel service registered by the installer
About multiple software installations
Description:
Depending on which Milestone XProtect® product you have licensed, you can install one or more instances of the software per Software License Code (SLC).
With XProtect® Express, XProtect® Essential, XProtect® Basis+ and XProtect® Go you are can only install the software on one server/computer.
With XProtect® Professional 8.0 (and greater) you can install on up to five servers/computers with one server/computer as designated master server and up to four servers/computers as slave servers. All servers/computers must appear within the same site (single side installation only). Previous versions of XProtect Professional can only be installed on one server/computer. For both current and previous versions, the installation must be within the same company (legal entity).
With XProtect® Enterprise you can make as many installations of the product as you like, also on multiple locations, as long as it is within the same company (legal entity).
With XProtect® Corporate you can install multiple Corporate management servers. One license also allows any number of recording servers as long as it is within the same company (legal entity) as the Management Server(s).
For more information, see the Milestone End-User License Agreements (EULA).
About backing up the configuration of an XProtect installation
Description:
The latest generation of XProtect® Enterprise, XProtect® Professional, XProtect® Express, XProtect® Essential and XProtect® Go have built-in configuration backup and restore functionality in the Management Application. However, this will not back up views that have been configured in XProtect® Smart Client or XProtect® Remote Client, so those should be backed up separately.
Backup
1. Open Management Application, and choose File > Export Configuration – Clone / Backup. Choose Clone if you intend to use the same configuration on multiple servers. Choose Backup if you simply wish to backup this server. Save the XML file to a location of your choice.
2. Open Windows Explorer and navigate to C:\ProgramData\Milestone\Milestone Surveillance\
3. Copy the RemoteClientViewGroups and SmartClientViewGroups folders to the same location as the XML file created in step 1.
4. If the file C:\Program Files\Milestone\Milestone Surveillance\devices\Devices.ini exists, copy this file to the same location as the XML file created in step 1. This file is only generated when certain drivers are used such as the Universal Driver, USB Driver, or the DirectShow Driver.
Restore
A backup should only be restored to the same product version. For example, if you are upgrading from XProtect Enterprise 7.0 to 8.0 and also moving the installation to a new, more powerful server, you should first install XProtect Enterprise 7.0 on the new server, restore your configuration backup and verify it was successful, then upgrade to XProtect Enterprise 8.0 on the new server. Here are the steps to restore your configuration.
1. Open the Management Application.
2. Click File > Import Configuration. Open the XML file generated in backup step 1.
3. Restore the RemoteClientViewGroups and SmartClientViewGroups folders from backup step 3.
4. Restore the Devices.ini file from backup step 4 if applicable.
5. Click File > Save Changes and Restart Services.
Solution: N/A
XProtect Smart Client displays the error “Failed to connect to Database”
Description:
XProtect® Smart Client displays the error Failed to connect to Database.
Solution:
The most common cause is special characters in the camera name and/or spaces at the end of the camera name. The problem can occur in versions of XProtect® which use the Administrator application for configuration.
Example: The camera name below exhibits both:
“[Parking Lot A] Camera 1 (N)”
Special characters in the example: The parentheses around “N”
Trailing spaces in the example: The space at the end of the camera name.
The Image Server cannot process camera names that are written this way. Renaming the camera to eliminate trailing spaces and special characters should immediately solve the problem.
Even though the camera name should be changed, video is still recorded, and once you have corrected the name, the camera(s) should be visible in the XProtect Smart Client. Once you change the name, you have access to the video that was recorded while the camera name was causing problems.
‘Media overflow’ error messages in XProtect® Corporate System Log
Description:
The message ‘Media Overflow’ appears in the Management Client ‘system’ log.
A yellow exclamation mark icon may appear next to cameras in the Management Client with the error message “Device in overflow mode, not all media recorded”.
Clips of video/audio that should have been recorded (according to current system configuration) may not have been, or may have been deleted.
Viewing live video or playing back recorded video in Smart Client may appear choppy, jittery, or may appear to stutter.
Solution:
XProtect Corporate will log the message ‘Media Overflow’ in the system log if it experiences a state where it is receiving media (video or audio) at a faster rate than the rate it can process the media and write it to the disk.
To maintain server stability and uptime, the Recording Server will discard media (decline to record) and so the user may experience a loss of recorded video
There are several steps the user can take to resolve this scenario:
Ensure XProtect Corporate is recording to an optimal environment:
- Configure your maximum recording and archive retention limits so that video is deleted upon a set schedule, NOT when the hard drive is filled to capacity.
- Configure the recording and archive hard drives to have a cluster size (block size) or 64k or higher.
- Ensure RAID stripe size is set to 512k or higher.
- Ensure recording and archiving drives (and their file systems) are healthy and error free.
- Disable real-time antivirus scanning, Instead choose to scan on a schedule
- If your surveillance server storage has one single storage array (e.g. Intransa, Pivot3), decline to archive..
- Disable any non-essential Windows operations that affect the file system. This could include indexing service, hard drive compression, and volume shadow copy service.
Steps you can take to reduce the amount of media inbound to the Recording Server:
- Enable H.264 codec on cameras whenever possible. If H.264 is not available, enable MPEG4 whenever possible.
- Increase compression on cameras or reduce camera frame rate for a more dramatic effect on reducing inbound media throughput.
Unable to retrieve serial number
Description:
You have added your device(s) to your XProtect® installation, but you are unable to see live video, and the recording server logs show the message “Unable to retrieve serial number”.
Essentially, there are two possible causes for this error. Either the device is not accessible on the network (or only intermittently accessible), or the recording server cannot authenticate the device using the stored username and password.
The license scheme for XProtect® software requires that the recording server knows the MAC address (the serial number) of the device prior to requesting a video stream. The MAC is usually discovered using a specific HTTP GET request, which requires authentication. This process might fail if there is a network communication problem, if the device is not responding properly, or if the administrative credentials on the device have changed.
Solution:
1. Verify that you are able to ping the IP address of the camera (or hostname, if you have added the device using its hostname instead).
2. Verify that the device functions correctly using the built-in web interface or vendor-supplied software.
3. Verify that the device still uses the default administrative username. Has the password been changed? Verify which username is expected by Milestone Systems A/S by checking the Device Pack Release Notes available in the Downloads section of the Milestone website.
4. Verify that the device is running a tested firmware version.
5. Restart the device.
6. Reset the device to factory default settings.
7. Verify that the Windows Firewall is disabled or is configured with an exception for the Recording Server service.
8. Check the network utilization. If it is 80% or more, you are likely to see occasional network communication problems.
More Information:
In some cases, this may be due to an outdated or mismatched entry for the camera’s MAC address in the surveillance system server’s ARP table.
If this is suspected, try the following:
- On the recording server PC, open an elevated command prompt
- At the prompt, type:
- ping
and hit Enter - arp -a
and hit Enter
(the latter command returns the MAC address of the camera, the former should (re)populate ARP tables on the server)
Now, compare the result of the ARP command with the MAC of the camera. If the MAC addresses do not match:
- Enter the command arp -d
- Verify that the command was successful by using arp -a
again (*NO* MAC address should be returned at this point) - Repopulate the server’s ARP table again with arp -a
(the correct MAC address for the device should display)
Speed-up on motion does not work with H.264 or MPEG-4
Description:
The speed-up on motion or event feature allows you to use a slow frame rate for normal video and a higher frame rate for interesting events, for example, as a result of motion detection or pressing a panic button. However, when you stream in H.264 or MPEG-4, no option exists to increase the frame rate on motion or event. In most cases, you can only choose to record all frames instead of only the key frames.
H.264 and MPEG-4 streams are structured to make it impossible to simply request more frames per second. These streams are built using groups of pictures (GOPS). The stream is initialized with a key frame, a full image of the scene. Following the key frame are a series of P frames, each of which contain only the changes which have occurred since the last key frame. In XProtect® software, the key frame interval is typically one second, and each GOP is tied together in such a way that the only way to increase the frame rate is to re-initialize the video stream, resulting in a brief loss of video.
Solution:
When speed-up on event is a requirement, you must use the MJPEG codec. With this codec, each frame is an individual, independent picture. You do not lose connection briefly when requesting more frames. Alternatively, if you normally only need about one frame per second, you can choose to record key frames only, and record all frames on motion or event.
ONVIF compliant camera cannot be added or will not stream video to XProtect® software
Description:
If you cannot add a camera tested/supported in XProtect® software under our ONVIF conformant device driver, or the camera does not stream live video to the server, this is usually due to one or more or the following issues:
- Device does not conform to both versions 1.01 and 1.02 of the ONVIF standard.
- Camera clock and surveillance server PC are not time synchronized.
- The camera rejects authentication.
- The camera resides behind a NAT router.
- Audio in (microphone) is enabled, but the camera does not support/deliver audio.
Solution:
First, if your goal is to add an ONVIF compliant camera to XProtect software, you must make sure the device adheres to both the 1.01 and 1.02 versions of the ONVIF standard. If your camera is conformant to one version, but not both, then it is not likely that our ONVIF driver can be used to add and/or manage the camera. You should also make certain that the device runs a recent version of firmware from the manufacturer, as it is common for ONVIF support to be missing or less prominent with older cameras/firmware. Using a recent firmware is especially important to be sure that video streamed in H.264 is encoded correctly at higher resolutions. Also, if the server PC and camera(s) are separated by a NAT router, then you cannot currently add/manage a device in this instance using our ONVIF conformant driver.
Next, if the camera clock is not synchronized with the XProtect server using a common time source, then the time on the camera will drift, and eventually this will result in the camera refusing to authenticate any requests from your XProtect system. In order to ensure that the camera and recording server clocks stay synchronized, both should be set up to synchronize with a common time source using, for example, NTP.
Additionally, it is entirely up to the camera manufacturer to determine rights and permissions that any user accounts will have in the camera. Since the ONVIF standard has no built-in authentication, the account that should be used for the ONVIF conformant driver to login to the camera is not always obvious. If the known manufacturer default root / administrative account does not work, you will need to consult the device manufacturer for options, or experiment with different usernames (i.e. live, guest, supervisor, admin1, etc.)
Lastly, check to be sure that the device supports and delivers audio before enabling audio in / microphone in the XProtect Management Application. If the camera fails to deliver audio (or does not support it) then, in attempt to obtain an audio stream, the recording server will by design terminate video streams along with audio to try again.
Create a map with cameras from both master and slave servers
The Milestone Event Server service powers the map functionality in XProtect® Smart Client. In a distributed multi-server environment, you can create maps with cameras from both the master server and any number of slave servers.
Solution:
Maps with cameras from both master and slave servers only work if you only install the Event Server to the master server. If you have installed the Milestone Event Server service to any of the slave servers, you must remove it for this to work.
Follow these steps for the best results:
1. Uninstall XProtect® Enterprise on the slave server(s).
2. Remove the file RegisteredServices.xml in the following directory:
- C:\ProgramData\Milestone\MilestoneSurveillance\ or
- C:\Documents and Settings\AllUsers\Application Data\Milestone\Milestone Surveillance\
3. Re-install XProtect Enterprise in Custom mode, ensuring that the Event Server option is not selected.
When attempting to install or upgrade, you receive the message “Error 1603″ and the installer rolls back changes
When you install XProtect® software, if you encounter the message Error 1603 and the installer rolls back changes, this is most commonly caused by a prior version of Microsoft SQL Server, SQL Express, or an existing Event Server database being detected on the system. In some cases, it has also been seen with corrupt or damaged Microsoft Visual C++ installation on the system.
Solution:
Visit the Windows Control Panel’s Add / Remove Programs (Programs and Features) list to remove any existing versions of Microsoft SQL Server or SQL Server Express. Once you have done so, navigate to C:\Program Files (x86) and/or \Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQLxx_xx.VIDEOOSDB\MSSQL\DATA\ and delete the filesVideoOSDB.mdf and VideoOSDB_log.ldf, then attempt the installation or upgrade again.
Additionally, you can reinstall or repair the Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime Libraries on the system by visiting the Windows Control Panel’s Add/Remove Programs (Programs and Features) list and selecting Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable (or similar) and clicking Change/remove. If this is not listed, or to remove/reinstall the component, uninstall it then download and reinstall the same C++ redistributable package from www.microsoft.com.
If the installation or upgrade still fails, you can enable Windows Installer (MSI) logging to get more elaborate error/failure information. To do this:
1. Open a command prompt and change to the directory the installer resides in.
2. Run the installer by typing MilestoneXProtectEnterpriseInstaller.exe –msilog then hit Enter.
If installation fails at this point, the MSI log can be examined or retrieved for analysis by Milestone Technical Support (MTS). You can locate the log in either C:\ProgramData\Milestone\Installer or C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Milestone\Installer\.
Image Server is intermittently unavailable and requires a restart
When the network utilization for the interface facing the client PC is near 100%, packets can be lost that prevent XProtect® Smart Clients from connecting. If they are already connected, they may not be able to renew their security tokens with the server.
The same symptoms can be present when there is very high NIC utilization on the client PC.
Solution:
If the NIC or switch is not gigabit, switching to a gigabit network should resolve the problem.
What are some of the key benefits of Canon IP Cameras
There are many key benefits to Canon IP video products including; unique intelligent features; Remote camera angle tool which allows for remote access to Pan, Tilt, Zoom & Rotate for setup on our fixed dome cameras. Authentic Canon lenses, CMOS imaging chips and Canon designed and produced D!GIC DV III Imaging engine and D!GIC DV NET network processing engine. Strong interoperability with third party systems and products. Canon also has the world’s smallest PTZ optical zoom camera (VB-S30D) and world’s smallest optical Pan/Tilt camera (VB-S31D) that can be used in many different environments.
Does Canon provide a warranty on IP Camera products
Are there indoor and outdoor options available
All Vandal external dome cameras in the VB-M and VB-H range are also IK10 impact resistant.
What Video Management Systems support Canon IP cameras
Do the cameras support edge recording
Do the cameras have interchangeable lenses
What streaming formats are available
Configuration of compression settings can be found in the user friendly web interface.
How do I log into the camera web browser
Logging into the camera is very straight forward by entering the IP address of the camera and the default user name and password, Root & Camera. More details can be found in the camera user manual provided with each camera.
How do I change the IP Address of the camera
Do Canon IP cameras have a WDR setting