Author: Bhargav Atturu

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Determining Network Connection Speed

Depending on the model of Exacq NVR, or optional upgrades selected, your system may offer network interfaces with varying maximum data speeds. If you build your own system, or if you connect to a network with slower infrastructure, you might not achieve the maximum stated performance.

Commonly listed network interface speeds on Exacq NVRs

NameMaximum Throughput
1000BASE-T1,000 Gbps (1 Gbit/s)
2.5GBASE-T2,500 Gbps (2.5 Gbit/s)
10GBASE-T10,000 Gbps (10 Gbit/s)

Auto-negotiation

Network interfaces are normally configured for auto-negotiation, in which two connected devices agree on shared communication settings, such as communication speed and duplex mode. This means a device capable of communicating at 1000 Mbps will be limited to 100 Mbps if the other device it is connected to has a 100 Mbps maximum speed.

Use the below methods to determine your interface’s connection speed.<br>

exacqVision Desktop Client Network Settings

Within the exacqVision Desktop Client, the negotiated network speed for a network interface can be seen by navigating to the Configure System node on the left-hand navigation tree, then clicking on the Network tab.

Highlight the chosen network interface from your list of Interfaces.

Above the interface’s IP Address Configuration section is the Status, which will also display the detected network speed.

Windows CLI

On Windows systems, you may use the PowerShell command line interface to check the negotiated network speed for the interface as well as whether it is using full-duplex or half-duplex. Enter the following command:

Get-NetAdapter | select interfaceDescription, name, status, linkSpeed, fullduplex

Ubuntu CLI

On Ubuntu systems, open a Terminal interface. Enter the following command, replacing INTERFACE with the name of your chosen interface:

ethtool INTERFACE

The example below, uses an interface named ‘ens18’ and shows the supported and advertised speeds and duplex modes the interface is capable of. However, the negotiated speed can be found further down named, ‘Speed’. This also indicates the interface is currently using full-duplex mode.

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Moving an eDVR Board in a Linux System

The following steps should be followed when moving the eDVR boards:

  1. In the exacqVision Client, save the system settings and note the serial number associated with the eDVR boards in the tree order by clicking on the board icons in the Configuration tree.
  2. Shut down the system.
  3. Unscrew the boards from the existing mounting. Do not disconnect the cabling from either end. Move the right angle brackets up two slots and add the additional standoffs.
  4. Insert the video compression boards in the same order into the top two slots on the riser board.
  5. Screw the boards into the mechanical mounting hardware and verify the cable connections.
  6. Restart the system. The exacqVision server will start automatically, but the boards will not start because the move will be detected.
  7. Stop the server by typing sudo /etc/init.d/edvrserver stop
  8. Run Control Center to find the boards as follows:
    • sudo /usr/local/xdvapi/bin/startxdvmods
    • sudo /usr/local/xdvapi/bin/xdvcc
  9. Ensure that the serial number shown in Control Center for device 1 matches the serial number of the first board in the tree from step 1.
  10. Close Control Center.
  11. Type sudo /usr/local/xdvapi/bin/stopxdvmods
  12. Restart the exacqVision Server by typing sudo /etc/init.d/edvrserver start
  13. In the exacqVision Client, restore the system settings.

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Moving-an-eDVR-Board-in-a-Linux-System.pdf
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Knowledge Support Support exacqVision Server Categories Products

Removing an Unwanted “Orphaned” Drive From the Storage Page

Title

Removing an Unwanted “Orphaned” Drive From the Storage Page

Description 

ExacqVision retains any drive which has ever been added to the NVR.  This can result in unwanted or “Orphaned” drives showing up on the Storage Page.  Removing these drives requires manual intervention. 

Product 

ExacqVision Server

Solution

Windows 

  1. Log into the operating system of the server as an administrator, you cannot perform these steps from a client workstation.
  2. Click the Windows key + R to open the run box 
  3. Type services.msc and press enter 
  4. Locate and right-click on exacqVision Server, select stop 
  5. Open Notepad as an administrator 
  6. Browse to and open C:\Program Files\exacqVision\Server\psfpi.xml
  7. Locate and delete the line containing the orphaned drive.
  8. Save and close psfpi.xml 
  9. Back in Services, right-click on exacqVision Server, select start
  10. Verify the drive is no longer present in the ExacqVision Client

Linux 

  1. Log into the operating system as an administrator
  2. Open a Terminal Window and stop the ExacqVision Server Service 
        sudo service edvrserver stop

Note: If prompted enter the admin operating systems password then press enter.  Linux will not give any feedback while entering the password. 

  1. Edit psfpi.xml using the following command 
        sudo nano /usr/local/exacq/server/psfpi.xml
  1. Using the arrow keys, move to the beginning of the line containing the orphaned drive 
  2. Press control+k to delete the line 
  3. Press control+o to save the file
  4. Press control+x to exit 
  5. Start the exacqVision Server Service 
        sudo service edvrserver start
  1. Verify the drive is no longer present in the exacqVision Client

Example

In the example below the drive labeled /mnt/edvr/2 is unwanted and will need to be manually removed. 
ExacqVision Client before and after orphaned drive removed

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Giving Domain Users Administrative Rights on Local Machine

Taken from: http://tinyapps.org/blog/windows/200910170715_give_domain_users_local_admin_rights.html

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Giving domain users administrative rights on local machine

On the local machine: Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Computer Management (be sure to run as an existing admin) > Local Users and Groups > Groups > Administrators > Add > Advanced > Find Now > double click the Active Directory user(s) you wish to grant local admin rights to, or simply add the “Domain Users” group so that any AD users who login at that machine will have local admin priviledges. Click OK three times.

Or skip all the clicking and simply issue the following command:

net localgroup administrators “domain_name\Domain Users” /add

This could be added to a startup script or performed from a remote machine with Sysinternals’ PsExec:

psexec.exe \\server -u administrator -p password net localgroup administrators “domain_name\Domain Users” /add

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Giving-Domain-Users-Administrative-Rights-on-Local-Machine.pdf
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Knowledge Support Support exacqVision Server Categories Products

Creating a Shutdown Hot Key in Linux

To create a shutdown hot key on a Linux ExacqVision system, complete the following steps:

Ubuntu 20.04 & 18.04

These systems are already configured to use CTRL+ALT+DEL to pop up a dialogue with a shutdown option. Once the dialogue opens the system will shutdown if no further user interaction occurs.

Ubuntu 16.04 and earlier

This requires advanced customization using donf-editor which is beyond the support provided by Exacq Support. Users perform any such customization on their own.

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    Viewing and Exporting ExacqVision System Log Files

    IMPORTANT: If you are already working with Support, or intend to open a Support case you will probably want to export and/or submit your Diagnostics, which include the System Logs and much more information about your system. The steps for this can be found in a separate article. See How to Submit Support Diagnostics<br><br>

    To view and export ExacqVision system log files, complete the following steps in ExacqVision Client:

    1. Enter Configuration mode by clicking the gear icon from the upper toolbar.<br><br>
    2. Select your System name in the site navigation tree to open the System Information page.<br><br>
    3. Navigate to the System Log tab.<br><br>
    4. Select a Start date and time for the log search (as shown below).<br><br>
    5. Select an End date and time for the log search.<br><br>
    6. Select the System Log Level from the drop-down list to determine the type of log information you want to view.
      • Critical – displays only critical level log entries
      • Error – displays error and critical entries
      • Warning – displays warning, error, and critical entries
      • Verbose – displays all log levels listed above, plus informational only entries
      • Debug – displays all log levels listed above plus additional debugging information usually only needed for support purposes<br><br>
    7. Click Search. The results will be displayed in the fields to the right. These may be sorted by clicking on the corresponding column headers for review. <br><br>
    8. To save the search results for later review or to send to others, click Export.<br><br>
    9. Select a name and location and click Save to export the file.<br><br>

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    Categories
    Knowledge Support Highlighted Support Categories exacqVision Webservice Products

    Using SSL with exacqVision Web Service (Windows)

    Version 8.4 and Higher

    Follow the instructions in Article 1002 to configure HTTPS support in the Web Service.

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    Version 8.2 and Lower

    SSL, a security system combining authentication and encryption, is used to protect communication between a web server and client. Enabling SSL on a web server allow all clients connecting to that server two key protections:

    1. The client is able to identify the server. There is no way for a fake server to misrepresent itself to a client.
    2. The communication between the client and server is encrypted, preventing a third-party from seeing what data is sent. This ensures the safety of private communication such as usernames and passwords, video data, and more.

    NOTE: A self-signed certificate allows you to use a web browser, but it does not work with mobile devices. Only trusted third-party certificates work with mobile devices.

    To use SSL in Windows with exacqVision Web Service, complete the following steps:

    1. Either create a self-signed certificate, or purchase a certificate from a trusted third party. (Creating a Self-Signed SSL Certificate) COMMON NAME should be the IP address or FQDN that you use to access your exacqVision Web Service. If acquiring a third-party cert, you might need to provide them with a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) file as follows:

      a. Navigate to https://exacq.com/support/gencsr.php.

      b. Enter all fields to output a .csr file and RSA key file to a zip file. Submit this data to the CA from which you are purchasing the certificate.

      c. If you have purchased a chained certificate, be sure to download the appropriate intermediate bundle.

      d. Place the .crt file and the intermediate bundle file (also a .crt file) from your CA into the Apache\conf directory.
    2. Rename the .crt file to server.crt and the .key file to server.key. Save the .crt and .key files to C:\Program Files (x86)\exacqVision\WebService\Apache\conf\.
    3. Stop exacqVision Web Server using the link on the Start menu.
    4. Open the Web Server Configuration file with Notepad as an administrator from C:\Program Files (x86)\exacqVision\WebService\Apache\conf\httpd.conf.

      Find the following line:

      LoadModule ssl_module modules/mod_ssl.so

      Delete any preceding pound sign (#) characters.

      Find the following line:

      Include conf/extra/httpd-ssl.conf

      Delete any preceding pound sign (#) characters.

      NOTE: Make sure your SSL Certificate File and SSL Certificate Key File are in the Apache\conf directory.
    5. Open the Apache SSL Configuration file in Notepad as an administrator. The file is located at C:\Program Files (x86)\exacqVision\WebService\Apache\conf\extra\httpd-ssl.conf.
      Find the line that begins with:
      FilesMatch “…

      Change it to:

      FilesMatch “\.(cgi|shtml|phtml|php|html)$”

      NOTE:       Those lines will also include angle brackets. Do not remove the brackets.

      When finished, save and close the file.
    6. It is recommended, but not required, that you disable the access log for SSL, as this file can grow very large. To do this, open the Apache SSL Configuration file in Notepad as an administrator. The file is located at C:\Program Files (x86)\exacqVision\WebService\Apache\conf\extra\httpd-ssl.conf. Find the line with the following text:

      TransferLog “${SRVROOT}/logs/access.log”
      Change it to:#TransferLog “${SRVROOT}/logs/access.log”When finished, save and close the file.
    7. Open the Web Service Configuration file in Notepad as an administrator. The file is located at C:\Program Files (x86)\exacqVision\WebService\WebService.ini.
      Add the following lines to the end of the document:

      [Broker]
      ssl_private_key = C:\Program Files (x86)\exacqVision\WebService\Apache\conf\server.key
      ssl_certificate = C:\Program Files (x86)\exacqVision\WebService\Apache\conf\server.crt

      When finished, save and close the file.
    8. Open an exception for TCP port 443 in your firewall.
    9. Start exacqVision Web Server using the link under the Start button.

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    Tips

    1. When purchasing an SSL certificate, many providers offer an Intermediate Bundle, or additional certificates that need to be present that will link your certificate through the chain to a root certification authority. Usually the provider will also provide documentation that describes how to accomplish this with Apache, but is a good idea to ask them before or during the purchase process. Exacq is not responsible for making your certs capable of working with Apache.
    2. The httpd-ssl.conf file contains sections for Server Certificate, Server Private Key, Server Certificate Chain, and Certificate Authority. You must modify these sections with the appropriate paths to your specific files.
    3. It is possible to combine all the intermediate certificates that the provider might give you into one file and use that in the Server Certificate Chain section. Again, consult the provider for more information.
    4. You should also find and modify the following line to include the name for which your certificate was issued (your server’s name) instead of:

      ServerName www.example.com:443

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    Troubleshooting

    If exacqVision Web Service does not start after configuring it for SSL, complete the following steps:

    1. Open the Apache error logs, found by default at C:\Program Files\exacqVision\WebService\Apache\logs\error.log.
    2. Look for an entry similar to the following:

      [Wed Mar 04 09:08:54.512004 2015] [ssl:emerg] [pid 19116] AH02565: Certificate and private key www.example.com:443:0 from CERTIFCATE_FILE_NAME.crt and KEYFILE_NAME.key do not match AH00016: Configuration Failed
    3. If you see this entry, complete the following steps:

      a.) Run the openssl utility (found by default at C:\Program Files\exacqVision\WebService\Apache\bin\openssl.exe).

      b.) Run the following commands, replacing the values in all caps with your values:

      openssl.exe x509 -noout -modulus -in PATH_TO_CRT | openssl md5
      openssl.exe rsa -noout -modulus -in PATH_TO_KEY | openssl md5
      openssl.exe req -noout -modulus -in PATH_TO_CSR | openssl md5

      For example:

      openssl.exe x509 -noout -modulus -in ..\conf\certificate.crt | openssl md5
      openssl.exe rsa -noout -modulus -in ..\conf\privateKey.key | openssl md5
      openssl.exe req -noout -modulus -in ..\conf\csr.csr | openssl md5

      c.) Compare the result values from all of the calls. Each resulting string should be identical. If the values do not match, confer with the certificate authority that issued the certificate.


    NOTE:     Web Sockets communication will not work using SSL encryption for Web Service versions 7.2.0 – 7.2.6.

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    Workaround

    Disable Web Sockets in the client configuration page of the browser Client.

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    Resolution

    Update to exacqVision Web Service version 8.4 or later.

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    Knowledge Support exacqVision Client Categories

    Opening exacqVision Client on Separate Monitors Using Short Cuts with Client 9.2 and Earlier

    If you are using exacqVision Client 9.2 or earlier and want to create a shortcut that allows your users to open the client to a predesignated camera view, event monitoring profile, or to specific monitors on a multi-monitor viewing station, you will need to create an XML file based on the client CLI documentation:

    If you are using client version 9.4 or later, please refer to KB:53190

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    Windows 7, 8.x, 10

    1. Open the Windows Start menu and show All Programs. Find exacqVision Client.

    2. Right-click on the client icon, expand ‘Send to’ and select ‘Desktop (create shortcut)’.

    3. On the Desktop, find the new shortcut. Right-click it and select ‘Properties’.

    4. Edit the ‘Target’ field to add an ‘-F’ option pointing to the XML file:

        “C:\Program Files\exacqVision\Client\edvrclient.exe” -F˂FilePath˃\˂FileName˃

        If you placed the XML file in a user’s directory that might look like:

        “C:\Program Files\exacqVision\Client\edvrclient.exe” -FC:\Users\admin\Monitor2.xml

    5. Click ‘OK’ then double-click the shortcut to test it. 

    6. You may rename the shortcut to identify a specific monitor or camera view.

    7. If you are configuring shortcuts to open multiple clients on multiple monitors, repeat the steps above. 

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    Ubuntu/Linux

    1. Open a Terminal.

    2. Type    cd /home/admin/Desktop     Press Enter.

    3. Type    sudo touch Monitor1.desktop    Press Enter.

    4. Type    sudo gedit Monitor1.desktop     Press Enter.

    5. Use the text editor to fill out the contents to resemble the example below:

      In the example above, replace the file path after ‘-F’ with the absolute file path to your own XML file.

    6. When you have completed the file, save it and close the window to return to the Terminal prompt. 

    7. Type:    sudo chmod +x Monitor1.desktop     Press Enter.

    8. Repeat these steps for each of your XML fles. 

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    Opening-exacqVision-Client-on-Separate-Monitors-Using-Short-Cuts-with-Client-9.2-and-Earlier-1.pdf
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    Default Windows User Accounts on Exacq Systems

    When setting up a new Exacq system, the out-of-box experience will prompt you to create a default operating system account. This account will be given administrative privileges.

    Additional user accounts may be created using the Kiosk scripts available on the Desktop. Kiosk user accounts have restricted privileges. The Kiosk account is blocked from all operating system functions and the user can only close the exacqVision Client and log out of the operating system account. This prevents the Kiosk user from shutting down the system, opening web browsers, or from starting and installing other applications while logged in as the Kiosk user. You are given the option to automatically log into the system with the Kiosk user account during creation of the account.

    If you license exacqVision software and install it on your own computer, this script is not available, and you are responsible for configuring all operating system accounts and privileges.

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    Panasonic NW502 JPEG versus H.264 Issue

    If you connect to a Panasonic NW502 camera and the software displays JPEG while MPEG-4 is greyed out, you must enable H.264 video encoding. To do this, browse to the NW502 camera configurator and open the Image page. Then change the Video Encoding Format from MPEG-4 to H.264.

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    Panasonic-NW502-JPEG-versus-H.264-Issue.pdf