Using the Illustra Tools Mobile App to discover, connect to, and configure cameras
Tag: Configuration
Get acquainted with the numerous server configuration settings available through the Configure System page in ExacqVision.
The Configure System page features a large number of tabs to navigate between system settings.
The System tab displays the license status, number of IP devices licensed for the system, the MAC address and serial number, and controls to enter or import the license key. Additionally, customize the system name, global control timeouts and choose to export system configuration for safe keeping or importing a backup configuration.
Use the Date/Time tab to configure the server’s time settings, including whether or not to utilize an external NTP service.
The Network tab is where you may configure the IP settings for the network interfaces on the system. Select between dynamically assigned IP addresses or static address and set any static IPs needed.
Connect your ExacqVision system to an Active Directory or LDAP server to take advantage of managing user accounts from your directory service.
Apply ExacqVision Server updates and view version and update information on the Update tab.
Set user account security policy through the Security tab, including the ability to lockout users after a number of incorrect login attempts, lockout accounts after a number of inactive days, or force password expiration to require users to regularly change their login passwords.
Title
How To Configure The Exacqvision Client To Prompt For Credentials Whenever Launched
Description
The “Always prompt for credentials” option requires you to enter a username and password every time you start the exacqVision client.
Product
exacqVision Client
Solution
Select the Always prompt for credentials for the server(s) on the Add Systems Page.See the Manually adding a system section of the exacqVision Client User Manual for additional information.
Description
This enhancement released in 22.03 provides a means to access cameras web interfaces directly from within the exacqVision Client
Product
exacqVision Client
General Information
- Enhancement added in exacqVision Client version 22.03
- Accessible from the cameras configuration page (Configuration > YOURSERVER > Configure System > Add IP Cameras > Camera Recording > YOURCAMERA
- Will not be visible to users which do not have privileges to add/remove cameras
- Only available to exacqVision Clients which have network access to the cameras.
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Accessing
- Click on either the IP Address hyperlink or the globe icon located to the right of the thumbnail image.
- Depending on the camera model one of several things could occur
- You will be prompted to enter login credentials for the camera’s web interface
- You will be prompted to login, but the credentials are already populated. (See Note 1)
- You will be automatically logged into the camera’s web interface. (See Note 1)
- You will get a Page failed to Load message (see Note 2)
Note 1
Credentials will be pre-populated with existing exacqVision Client configuration information for some camera models.
Note 2
Cameras with enhanced security features may show a Page failed to Load message with error ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID (-202)
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Cert Error Resolution
Use a Web Browser
- This option retains the clients SSL validation setting
- Click the Open in Browser hyperlink in the upper right corner of the Cameras Web Configuration page
- The default browser should launch and open the cameras url
Disabling SSL Validation
- An indicator warning should appear “Unable to validate SSL certificate”, If it does not click retry
- Click the hyperlink within the indicator to navigate to Client Page
- Locate the “Require SSL certificate validation” option and disable by unchecking
- Return to the cameras settings page and re-open it’s Web Configuration Page
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Exiting the Web Configuration Page
- Log out of the cameras web interface
- Click the Camera Configuration hyperlink in the upper left of the Cameras Web Configuration page.
- Note: Once logged in, navigating away from the cameras Web Configuration page will result in the Reload Camera Settings popup Window appearing.
- Select the appropriate Response
- Reconnect – Momentarily disconnect and reconnect to the camera and move away. This is good if you have made changes within the cameras web interface.
- Don’t Reconnect – Move away without a camera disconnect/reconnect
- Cancel – Return to the current Camera Web Configuration page
This is a guide for configuring the client if you are powering a PIEZO Speaker from a Power Supply.
Example:
In this example we are using the Relay for triggering an event base off of IP Camera Connection in event linking.
Notice the above picture that we are using Normally Open (NO) and the COM on the USBDIO Module to trip the speaker when the state changes off the module because the speaker has power from the power supply in this example.
If this is the case then proceed with configuration of the client.
In Alarm Outputs we want to configure the The OUTPUT 1 as the NO and COM relay that we are using. See figure for Example:
Once the Alarm output is set up go to Event Linking and configure a rule.
In this example we are using Event Type IP Camera Connection for the trigger.
Event Source will be the camera that we want to monitor.
Action Type is Output Trigger.
Action Target will be the Speaker that you labeled in the Alarm Outputs (Output 1).
What this will accomplish is that when the camera is disconnected or losses power takes place the USBDIO Module will be triggered by that event of IP Camera Connection and the output relay will change state and allow the speaker to alarm via the event linking that is set up.
Panasonic model WV-SW458 Fisheye On Firmware 2.50 .
When setting up a new camera in the client and notice the motion window is not saving with the default motion window.
Work Around
Edit the motion window and delete any motion windows that exist. Then create a new motion window and draw the boarder of the motion window smaller than the boarder of the cameras field of view and apply. The motion window will save. If you use the default motion window and hit apply, the motion window will not save. It has to be a little bit smaller than the full boarder of the cameras FOV.
This will be in our 21.09 build release.
Description
sony generates excessive configuration events with invalid ntp server
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Version Introduced
v3.3.3.15350
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Steps to reproduce
enable an ip camera time server override with characters requiring url encoding
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Expected result
time server override value is set in camera
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Actual result
plugin continuously fails to update camera
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Work Around
configure the ntp server using the camera’s web interface
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Version Fixed
none
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Keywords
Sony NTP
There are two ways to modify the ports used by the Web Service:
- Using the Web Service configuration interface
- Hand editing the configuration file
It is recommended to use the configuration interface, whenever possible. However, it is possible that you must hand edit the configuration in cases where the Web Service cannot start (for example, if there is a port conflict). This article provides instructions for both methods.
Important: The structure and location of the Web Service config has changed over the life of the web service. Please pay close attention to the section headers in this article, as they indicate the versions to which particular instructions apply.
While various versions are mentioned in this article, it is recommend to keep your Web Service updated to the latest version to help prevent exposure to vulnerabilities and take advantage of the latest performance improvements.
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Using the Web Service configuration UI
Versions 9.6 and above
Log into Web Service Configuration using your Web Service administrator account. Using the provided Web Service configuration interface navigate to Configuration > Ports.
Update the fields to change to your selected port number, then click ‘Apply’ to save your changes. The Web Service will need to restart to reflect your changes.
Versions 7.6 to 9.4
Web Service version 7.2 introduced Web Sockets for video streaming. Version 9.4 was the last version to feature Web Sockets, as it was replaced by other improvements.
When logging into Web Service Configuration, navigate to Configuration > Ports. Update the fields shown to your selected port numbers then click ‘Apply’ to save your changes. The Web Service will need to restart to reflect your changes.
Versions 7.2 to 7.6
Web Service version 7.2 introduced Web Sockets for video streaming. Version 9.4 was the last version to feature Web Sockets, as it was replaced by other improvements.
When logging into Web Service Configuration, navigate to Basic Service Configuration. You have the ability to update the Web Service Port and WebSocket Ports through the configuration page.
To change the HTTPS (SSL) or Secure WebSocket (SSL) ports requires manually editing the configuration file. See the section in this article titled ‘Manual Configuration‘ for more on these steps.
The Web Service will need to restart to reflect your changes.
Versions 7.0 and earlier
These versions are quite dated and as mentioned earlier, we recommend keeping your Web Services updated to help avoid vulnerabilities and take advantage of new features and performance enhancements.
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Additional SSL Information
Note: Changing the SSL ports (https/wss) DOES NOT enable SSL. This merely allows you to easily modify those ports, but you still need to manually configure SSL support for both Apache and WebSockets. See the following article on configuring a certificate for HTTPS.
Firewall/Router Configuration
Note: Be sure to forward the new port in your router. Exacq Technical Support does not provide assistance with port forwarding, but see the following links if necessary:
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Manual Configuration (hand editing the configuration)
The steps here will change depending on the type of port (HTTP vs. WebSockets) you wish to edit.
HTTP / HTTPS (Web Service verions 7.2 and above)
The first step to manual editing is to find the location of the config file where the port numbers are held. This depends on both the platform (operating system) and version of the Web Service you have installed.
Windows:
- 9.0.x+ (both HTTP and HTTPS are in the same file):
C:\ProgramData\Webservice\conf\wfe.json - 7.2.x – 8.8.x:
- HTTP:
C:\Program Files[(x86)]\exacqVision\WebService\Apache\conf\httpd.conf - HTTPS:
C:\Program Files[(x86)]\exacqVision\WebService\Apache\conf\extra\httpd-ssl.conf
- HTTP:
Linux:
- 9.0.x+ (both HTTP and HTTPS are in the same file):
/etc/webservice/wfe.json - 7.2.x – 8.8.x:
- HTTP:
/etc/evapache/httpd.conf - HTTPS:
/etc/evapache/extra/httpd-ssl.conf
- HTTP:
Determine where this file is for your install before continuing.
Once you have found the file, open it using your editor of choice (be sure to do so with administrative privileges) and perform either of the following depending on its name:
- For
httpd.conf(HTTP port) andhttpd-ssl.conf(HTTPS port):- Find the
Listendirective in the file- For example, if the current port is 80, the line should read
Listen 80
- For example, if the current port is 80, the line should read
- Modify the port number as desired
- Save the file and restart Apache and the Web Service
- Find the
- For
wfe.json:- Find the
webserversection - For the HTTP port:
- Find the
listenkey, nested one level within thewebserversection - Modify the port number as desired
- Find the
- For the HTTPS port:
- Find the
tlskey, nested one level within thewebserversection - Under the
tlssection, find thelistenkey one level below - Modify the port number as desired
- Find the
- Save the file and restart the web service
- Find the
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Web Sockets (7.2.x – 9.4.x)
Both the standard and SSL WebSocket ports are changed from the Web Service ini/conf file. The location and name of this file depends on the platform (operating system) and web service version:
Windows:
- 7.2.x – 9.4.x:
C:\Program Files[(x86)]\exacqVision\WebService\WebService.ini
Linux:
- 7.2.x – 8.8.x:
/etc/webservice.conf - 9.0.x – 9.4.x:
/etc/webservice/webservice.conf
Determine where this file is for your install before continuing.
Once you have found the file, open it using your editor of choice (be sure to do so with administrative privileges) and perform the following:
- Find the
[Broker]section.
This will only appear if it was entered manually before, or you configured it previously using the UI. So if you do not see it, and are configuring it for the first time, you may need to enter it by hand. - The standard websocket port configuration is
websocket_port = 8082, while the secure websocket port (wss) isssl_port = 8083. Modify the port numbers as desired. - As mentioned above, if these configuration settings are not already present, or the
[Broker]section is missing, the defaults are being used. You may manually add the section/settings with desired values should this be the case. The resulting section of the file should appear similar to the below example, with your custom port numbers.[Broker]websocket_port = 8082ssl_port = 8083 - Save the file and restart the web service.
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- Open a web browser on the server and type http://127.0.0.1 as the URL to access the Web Service. Click on the Web Service Configuration link in the bottom-right corner.
<br><br> - Enter the Web Service administrator username and password to log in.<br><br>
- Edit the port number to match the custom port number configured for your server.
- For Web Service version 7.8 and above: Open the Server Connections page, click Add Server to add a new server, or highlight an existing entry and click Edit.
<br><br> - For Web Service version 7.6 and earlier: Open the Servers page and type the new port over the existing port. Click on Update Configuration and then confirm to restart the Web Service.
- For Web Service version 7.8 and above: Open the Server Connections page, click Add Server to add a new server, or highlight an existing entry and click Edit.
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exacqVision Edge is a version of exacqVision Server that runs directly on supported camera models and only connects to, and records video from, the camera it is hosted on. Cameras running the exacqVision Edge, or Edge+, application must be configured for the GMT+0 time zone.
Because the server application runs directly on the camera, the Time Zone field cannot be configured from a connected exacqVision Client, but will need to be configured through the camera’s web browser interface.
However, the Time and Date fields can be configured from within the exacqVision Client and should be configured to GMT+0 rather than the current time where the camera is located.
Because the server application is running directly on the camera, the application tells the camera to use the loopback address of 127.0.0.1 as its time source, effectively telling the camera to look to itself for its time. Enabling the Time Server setting will not correct this. But you may override this behavior by selecting the Enable Override option and entering the URL or IP address of an NTP source of your choice. This will override the localhost setting, forcing the camera to use a trusted network time source. For more information on NTP sources, refer to Explaining NTP.
The below example, from an Illustra camera, illustrates that the Time Zone will be set to GMT+0 in the camera. You will need to restart the Edge Server application on the camera if changing this after it has started.
When connecting the exacqVision Client to an exacqVision Edge Server instance, the Client will display the time of the client workstation in the OSD unless you configure the OSD to display Timezone information, in which case it will display the camera’s time of GMT+0.
The two example images below illustrate this effect. With the Timezone checked, the client time shown in the bottom-right of the window’s status bar is reflected in the camera OSD time. When the Timezone field is unchecked, the camera OSD time will match GMT+0 rather than the local client time.
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