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0 KB File When Downloading Archived Video

Description 

Typically end users will access archived video via Cloudvue Web or Cloudvue Mobile. They can search for a specific date/time on a camera and then use Save Clip to export the video in one, five, fifteen or custom increments up to 2 hours. 

In certain cases this can fail and will result in a 0 KB MP4 file. 

Product

  • C2C

Steps to Reproduce 

  • Navigate to the Archive Page
  • Set the Start Point
    • Use the Date/Time fields to set the starting point or
    • Drag the green indicator bar in the timeline
  • Save Clip
    • Choose one of the preset lengths one, five, fifteen or create a custom increment up to 2 hours
    • Click Save

Expected Results 

  • An MP4 file of the video is downloaded

Actual Results

  • An MP4 is downloaded but has no video and the files size is 0 KB

Solution

If the video can be viewed in Cloudvue then it should exist either on the device or in the cloud. To determine the source you will need to open Chrome’s Dev Tool (F12 or Ctrl+Shift+J) and locate the download url being used.

  • Open the Chrome Dev Tools (F12 or Ctrl+Shift+J)
  • Use the Steps to Reproduce above but stop after setting a Start Point
  • In the Dev Tools Window
    • Select the Network Tab
    • Click the clear network log icon
  • In Cloudvue Save the desired Clip
    • Items will begin to appear in the Dev Tools network log
  • Hover over each Network Log entry to reveal the full url
  • You want the one that begins with “https://archive.cloudvue.com/camera”
    • Right click the log entry
    • Expand Copy
    • Choose copy link address
  • Open a new tab in Chrome
    • Paste the copied url into the address bar
    • It will look similar to this
      • https://archive.cloudvue.com/camera/0050f9635b40/streaming?start=1698753630603&stop=1698753660603&location=c2c
      • Note the ending, if it is =c2c then change it to =cloud or vice versa
    • Launch the modified url
    • An mp4 video file should download

URL Explained

https://archive.cloudvue.com/camera/[CAMERAS_MAC]/[ACTION]start=[EPOCH_START_TIME]&stop=[EPOCH_STOP_TIME]&location=[SOURCE]

Where

[CAMERAS_MAC] = Cameras MAC address

[Action] =

  • streaming? = playback/stream the video
  • download? = download the video
[EPOCH_START_TIME] = Epoch start time in milliseconds

[EPOCH_STOP_TIME] =  Epoch stop time milliseconds

[SOURCE] =

  • C2C = Cameras microSD card
  • Cloud = Cloud Storage
Categories
Knowledge Support Support Categories

Using PSchange to rename files on a remote archive server (Windows)

*** INTERNAL USE ***

Description 

Instructions for how to use PSchange tool in order to manipulate files located on a remote archive server. This guide is for running the tool on a windows OS although it can still manipulate files stored on a linux archive server.

Product 

PSchange.exe

Steps

  1. Gather current camera ID by right clicking on the live video and clicking properties. Make a note of these as they will be used later.
  2. Launch Exacq as Administrator on the server where the camera is located.
  3. Change the plugin to the one you want to use.
    1. Note: Exacq will now try to convert the existing local video to the new device ID. This may take some time so be patient and don’t force close the exacq client. You can check it is still working in the background by opening task manager and checking the CPU percentage for the “edvrclient” program. If it is above 0% it is still working.
  4. Open powershell as administrator.
  5. Map your remote drive to a drive letter not in use.
    1. Commands are: net use P: \\NETWORK_PATH\
      1. This path should include everything up until but not including the date folders that are created during the archiving process. E.g. if the path is \\192.168.1.1\StorageFolder30Days\2022\05\12\3\ then your command should look like this:
        net use P: \\192.168.1.1\StorageFolder30Days\
  6. Use cd to change directory to where the pschange.exe program is located.
  7. Run pschange in a dry run with this command:
    1. .\pschange -v -d -o 0xXXXXXXXX -n 0xXXXXXXXX -p P:
      1. Pschange arguments:
        -v verbose
        -d dry run
        -o Old camera ID
        -n New camera ID
        -l (Lowecase L) Include all local Drives
        -p Include the path specified in the scan.
        Note: it may take pschange a couple of seconds before it gets started. Be patient.
  8. Pschange should list all files it finds and will list the new names it will give them, giving you a total files number once it finishes.
  9. If you are happy to proceed enter the pschange command without the dryrun argument. E.g.
    1. Dry run command
      .\pschange -v -d -o 0xXXXXXXXX -n 0xXXXXXXXX -p P:

      Actual command should now look like this
      .\pschange -v -o 0xXXXXXXXX -n 0xXXXXXXXX -p P:
  10. Once it completes it should tell you how many files it has “moved” you can go to the path and check the files to ensure it has worked.
  11. Once you are happy, remove the mapped network drive using this command

net use /delete P:

Categories
Knowledge Support Highlighted Support exacqVision Client exacqVision Server Categories Products

Exacq Cloud Drive Setup

Cloud drive is a subscription plan available from an Exacq dealer for offsite, cloud based archiving of recorded video.

Contact an authorized dealer to discussing pricing and plans.

Minimum Client/Server Versions:
Client: 22.03.1
Server: 22.03.0

The following instructions detail the steps to be performed in sequence. These steps are also detailed in our Video Library. Steps performed in Cloudvue Manager must be performed by a dealer with login access and a valid Partner Code. Steps within ExacqVision may be performed by a customer or integrator onsite with Client access.

Step 1 – Customer Account Creation (Cloudvue Manager)

If the customer does not already have an account created, you will need to create one.

  1. Click the plus/add icon in the top corner and select ‘Add Account’.
  2. Enter the account name and contact information.
  3. Enter an assigned partner name.
  4. Leave the Customer ID and Site ID fields empty, these are reserved for other uses.
  5. Save your changes.

Step 2 – User Account Creation (Cloudvue Manager)

One or more user accounts will need to be added to the customer’s account. User accounts are used to bind the server’s uploaded data to their Cloud Drive storage.

  1. Click the plus/add icon in the top corner and select ‘Add User’.
  2. Add the user’s email address and optionally a phone number for contact.
  3. Change the Role to Enterprise.
  4. If an integrator/dealer is performing the entire setup on behalf of the user, create a password to use.
  5. If an integrator/dealer is working with the customer, check the box below for ‘Reset Password and accept EULA/TOS’. This will remove the password field. The customer will receive an email at the address entered and will use it to validate their email address and set a custom password.
  6. Enter a partner name.
  7. Assign the user to an account, created earlier.
  8. Leave the device and timeout fields alone.
  9. Two-factor authentication should not be checked for use with Exacq Cloud Drive accounts at this time.
  10. Save your changes.

Step 3 – User Validation (Email and ExacqVision Client)

If ‘Reset Password and accept EULA/TOS’ were checked in Step 2. The user will need to click the link in the email received.

The page that opens will prompt the user to create a new, custom password.

NOTE: The user MUST click the links to open the EULA and TOS before the ‘Agree’ checkbox below can be checked.

  1. Open the ExacqVision Client and navigate to the Archiving page.
  2. Create a new archiving profile by clicking the ‘New’ button towards the bottom.
  3. Change the archiving Type from ‘SMB’ to ‘Cloud Drive’.
  4. Enter the email address and password.
    a. If the password was set by the integrator/dealer, enter this here.
    b. If the password was customized by the user via the validation email, the customer will enter this new password here.
  5. Enter the Partner Code provided by the dealer/integrator.
  6. Select the Instance Region as directed by the dealer/integrator.
  7. Click ‘Apply’.

The status message will change to read ‘Step 1 of 4: Add the user to the NVR’. The next steps will be taken by the dealer in the Cloudvue Manager.

Provide the dealer/integrator with the system’s MAC address. This may be found by clicking ‘Configure System’ on configuration tree to the left, and clicking the System tab. The MAC address is located in the top-right corner beneath the license key.

Step 4 – Add User to NVR (Cloudvue Manager)

  1. Click the search icon in the top corner, and select ‘Search Video Devices’.
  2. Use the filters on the left to search for the system’s MAC address, do not use colons or dashes.
  3. Once the system has been located, double-click it to open the device details.
  4. Towards the top of the device details page, click the ‘Add Existing User’ button.
  5. Select the user account created earlier.

Confirmation that this step has been completed will appear on the Archiving page in the ExacqVision Client when the status changes to read ‘Step 2 of 4: Apply subscriptions to cameras’.

Step 5 – Add Subscriptions to Cameras (Cloudvue Manager)

  1. On the device details in Cloudvue Manager, click Subscriptions to expand this section.
  2. The system’s cameras will be listed. A Service Plan MUST be selected for each camera in the list, even if archiving no data from it. If the camera will not be archiving, select ‘TCVMSEXQA – VMS Only Exacq Annual’.

    The plans are displayed dynamically based on the recording settings for the camera in the customer’s ExacqVision server. Therefore you cannot set a camera recording 4K video to a plan for 720p video.
  3. Select the Storage Retention and Quality settings.
  4. The price displayed will update as the settings are changed.

NOTE: If cameras are added/removed or recording settings are changed in the client, the Enable checkbox on the Archiving profile will need to be disabled, then re-enabled to send the changes to Cloudvue Manager. Re-load the page and the camera list and available plans will update accordingly.

Once the subscriptions have been saved. The status in the ExacqVision Client will update again, to read ‘Step 3 of 4: Create an archiving schedule’.

Step 6 – Set the Archive Task (ExacqVision Client)

The Archiving Target created tells the system WHERE to archive data. A Task Schedule must be created to the right, which tells the system WHEN to archive data.

  1. Click ‘New’ under the Task Schedule panel.
  2. Give the task a descriptive name. More than one task may be created if, for example, you wish to perform archiving on different hours for different days.
  3. Set the Start Time, when the system will begin this task.
  4. Set the End Time.
    – Continuous; will begin archiving when the start time is reached and check for new content every five minutes
    – Until Finished; will begin archiving when the start time is reached. When it finds no new data to archive the task stops until the next start time is reached and begins again.
    – User Defined; will begin archiving when the start time is reached and stop when the end time is reached. This may be useful for environments where network bandwidth or system resources are in higher demand during certain hours of the day. An example is an office where staff work from 9am to 6pm and during those hours network bandwidth is in high usage and servers are recording more data due to increased activity. After normal work hours there is less activity to record and lower bandwidth usage after most people have left for the day. In such cases an admin may choose to schedule archiving to take place during the off hours to use the systems and network more efficiently.
  5. Click ‘Apply’.

Step 7 – Set the Archive Schedule (ExacqVision Client)

After telling the system WHERE and WHEN to archive data in the previous steps, you must tell the system WHAT to archive.

  1. Click the Schedule tab at the top of the Archiving page.
  2. You should only see the cameras with Cloud Drive subscriptions applied available.
  3. Select the ‘Days’ tab to schedule one or many cameras by day, or select the ‘Sources’ tab to schedule one camera on one or many days. If using the Days tab, you may apply your settings to other days utilizing the Copy Current Configuration region below the schedule panel.
  4. Highlight the hours you wish to set a schedule for, then select from the Settings above.
    You may choose to archive All data, Motion data, Alarm data, or no data for each specific hour.
    Record settings and archive settings to not have to be configured for the same type of data. As an example, you could record free run video on a system at a certain time, but then choose to archive only the motion video recorded during the same period to the Cloud Drive.
Categories
Knowledge Support Support exacqVision Client exacqVision Server Categories

Unable to set archiving schedule

If all of the boxes for the camera are greyed out for a camera on the Schedule page under Archiving…

Check to verify in the Exacq Client under Storage you DO NOT have a Expiration Configuration rule set; if you do remove it. Then go back to the Archiving Schedule page and select your cameras and whether you want Motion, All or Alarm.

Categories
Knowledge Support Support exacqVision Client Categories Products

Direct Archive Search Explained

exacqVision 7.8 introduced enhancements to video archiving to provide faster access to video and better manage bandwidth. Users closer to the archive location on the network can directly search video on the archive without routing data through the recorder. Direct archive search is available for any Exacq S-Series storage device and any third-party network share archive.

For customers that want to implement mobile video on vehicles such as trains, subways, and buses, exacqVision Edge+ VMS software on a camera can be used in combination with direct archive search to send video to the archive while at the station and view video from the archive while the vehicle is on duty.

Direct archive search can be enabled for exacqVision Professional and Enterprise users. To enable direct archive search, users can go to the Archiving page and select the Enabled check box under the new Direct Search section and enter read-only username and password credentials that the client will use to access the network share.

Once Direct Archive Search is enabled. You would perform your search from the exacqVision Client search page. You can choose your preferred search location.

  1. Direct Search Disabled
    • This will search the exacqVision Server for the metadata. The server will provide the desired video from the exacqVision Server. If the video does not reside on the server but is archived, it will pull the desired content from the archive and then send from the exacqVision Server to the client.
    • Note: If the exacqVision Server is offline, you will not get any search results from the archive.
  2. Direct Search Enabled – Prefer System Video (Default)
    • This will search the exacqVision Server for the metadata. The server will provide the desired video from the exacqVision Server. If the video does not reside on the server but is archived, it will provide the video from the archive. Since Direct Archive Search is enabled, the content will be pulled directly from the archive (not routed through the exacqVision server)
  3. Direct Search Enabled – Prefer Archive Video
    • This will search the archive first and provide the results directly to the Client, unless it does not exist on the archive. This could be the case when video recorded on the NVR has not been archived yet. If you know the exacqVision server is offline, this would be the choice for directly searching the archive. This could also conceivably be used to search video from an S-Series removed from site for legal/evidentiary purposes.
  4. Direct Search Enabled – Prefer Cloud Video
    • This will search a Cloud Drive archive. Cloud Drive is a subscription product offered for archiving data off premises.

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