Tag: exacqVision Client

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Configuring DS6716HQHI Encoder Streams

The following steps are intended for manually setting the certificate and key path for exacqVision Web Service versions 8.4 and higher.

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Symptom

When connected to a Hikvision DS-6716HQHI encoder, user sees seemingly random drops of video streams for a second or two.

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Problem

When this device detects motion, the encoder switches from the main profile to the event profile, seemingly pausing the stream. Our camera plugin detects this as a timeout of the stream and attempts a reconnect.

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Solution

  1. Log into the camera’s web interface through a web browser.
  2. Navigate to the Configuration > Camera Settings > Video Settings
  3. In the ‘Channel No’ field, go through all 16 channels and set ‘Video Type’ for both the Main Stream (Normal) and Main Stream (Event) to ‘Video Stream’.
  4. Also, verify that the Main Stream (Event) video settings are the same as the Main Stream (Normal) settings.
  5. Back in the exacqVision Client, on the Add IP Cameras page, highlight any of the IP addresses for these encoders and add the following option, #getparameter_override=true.
    • So if your encoder address is listed as 192.168.0.5, change this to 192.168.0.5#getparameter_override=true.
    • If the IP is listed as 192.168.0.5#bank=2, add the #getparameter_override=true after the bank option as 192.168.0.5#bank=2#getparameter_override=true.
  6. After applying these override options to all the encoder IP addresses listed, uncheck the Enable box next to each in the IP Camera List, then recheck them.

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Note: This encoder supports four audio channels, so the workaround steps may pose a problem if you are using audio from this device.

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Dewarper Workaround

Issue

Both Axis and Pelco depend on OpenGL for dewarping.  If dewarping is not working for a Windows client because of GPU driver issues you can use the following open source Mesa3D software OpenGL drivers as a work around.  This will basically use a software implementation of OpenGL to do the dewarping which is really no worse than 90% of the other dewarping libraries anyway. It will not perform as well as if it were using the GPU OpenGL drivers, but it seems reasonable.  CPU usage went from 6% using GPU drivers to 12% using these drivers.

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Workaround

  • Download Mesa3D windows binaries from https://github.com/pal1000/mesa-dist-win/releases
  • Extract contents of either x64 or x86 folder to client install directory depending on which client is installed
  • OpenGL32.dll should be in the same folder as edvrclient.exe

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Dewarper-Workaround.pdf
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How to Configure No Close Client Usage

Beginning with version 9.4, the exacqVision Desktop Client offers the ability for administrators to prevent users from deactivating an Event Monitoring profile. 

In previous versions, when an Event Monitoring profile was active a user could accidentally deactivate the profile by navigating away from it or by closing the client window.

With Client 9.4 or higher, an administrator can keep an Event Monitoring profile active even if the user tries to close the client window. In this scenario, if the user tries to close the client window it remains active in the system tray. When an event occurs, the window will reappear and come to the foreground in front of any other client instances that may be running.

A user that wants to view other cameras, perform video searches or perform other actions can still do so by opening another client instance, but they won’t miss an event from their Event Monitoring profile. 

To configure this, perform the following steps:

  1. Upgrade the exacqVision Desktop Client to 9.4 or greater.
  2. Open a file editor, such as Notepad for Windows, or gedit on Ubuntu Linux.
  3. Use the sample code, below, as your template.
    • Replace MYPROFILE with the name of the Event Monitoring profile you’ve created and wish to remain active.
    • Replace MYEVSERVER with either the system name or IP address of the exacqVision Server.
&lt?xml ?&gt<br>
&ltexacqVisionInit ShowTrayIcon="1" ShowToolbars="0" ShowNavPanel="0" Caption="Event Monitor System Tray" Delete="0"<br>RestoreOnAttnReq="1" Maximize="1" AllowAccelerators="0"&gt<br>
        &ltLive EventMonitor="MYPROFILE"&gt<br>
                &ltSystem Name="MYEVSERVER"/&gt<br>
        &lt/Live&gt<br>
&lt/exacqVisionInit&gt

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  1. Save the newly created file to the Desktop, or other desired location, with a descriptive name and the .XDV file extension.

    In editors such as Notepad, you will need to use the ‘Save as type’ drop-down menu to select ‘All Files (*.*)’, then enter the desired file name with the .XDV extension included at the end.
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You may place this .XDV file on any client machine that will connect to the server to run. When run, the client will open to the chosen Event Monitoring profile and cannot be deactivated. 

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Example Network Diagram for Multi-NIC Systems

Best practice for servers with more than one NIC includes isolating camera traffic to a separate scheme. This practice not only isolates camera bandwidth consumption from other network traffic, but also adds an additional layer of security to prevent workstation users from accessing cameras and video streams directly.

Whether using separate network switches or creating a VLAN on shared switches, the concept is the same.

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IMPORTANT: DO NOT place both NICs within the same subnet. This is a poor network practice that WILL cause communication problems. Administrators that wish to attempt utilizing more than one NIC within a single subnet for redundancy or transfer speeds must configure NIC bonding/teaming. This is only recommended for systems with more than two NICs so that cameras may continue to be isolated from other network traffic.
See also:

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External Connectivity

For administrators seeking to connect from outside the local network, across a WAN or MAN, see also:
Remote exacqVision Connection Diagrams

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exacqVision Export Video File Types

Video may be exported from exacqVision in different formats. The table below illustrates some of the differences in these formats.

File Type Features Table

Multi-Camera: For the purposes of this article, multi-camera means many camera streams are combined into a single exported file. When exporting as .MOV, .AVI, or .MP4 each stream will end up as its own file.

Self-Playing: The .EXE file format bundles the exacqVision ePlayer into the file. This allows the file to be opened and played back on any Windows desktop or server operating system. This file format does not play natively on Ubuntu/Linux or Mac systems.

For more details on .AVI and .MOV usage and codecs, please refer to Article 1925

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How to Submit Support Diagnostics

Choose the “Easy Support Video” link below to watch a video on how to submit support diagnostics and open a support case from the ExacqVision Client or see step-by-step instructions below.

Exporting Diagnostics

  1. Choose the Help (?) symbol at the upper right hand corner next to the ExacqVision logo.<br><br>
  2. Choose Support Diagnostics.
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  3. The Support Diagnostics popup will start with basic options.


    Note: The default Support Diagnostics option will collect:
    • Server License Key
    • Server Configuration Files
    • Verbose Server Logs

      The ‘Send Usage Statistics’ option on the Support Diagnostics dialogue provides anonymous and non-sensitive information to the manufacturer about how cameras and ExacqVision features are used on the system.<br><br>
  4. Choose “Show Advanced Options” for more options.

    Note: Checkboxes under ‘Client’ will include OS logs from the client machine.<br><br>
  5. If connected to more than one ExacqVision server, you can choose which server to pull the logs from.<br><br>

Submitting Diagnostics

  1. Once your options are chosen, you have the choice to Save the diagnostics export locally, or to upload the export to Exacq and create a ticket.
    • If you select ‘Upload’, it will “zip” all the information and upload the file to our Support Request Form. In addition, it will auto-fill the System Information section for you. Please complete the remainder of the form and choose ‘Submit Email Form’.
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    • If the file is large than 10 MB, you will need to save the diagnostics export file locally and submit the file to Exacq by other means. Contact the Exacq Support technician you are working with to request a link to upload your file.

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Changing ExacqVision Client Color and Appearance

Themes

The ExacqVision Desktop Client added support for Themes in version 8.4. Since version 20.03, the Client will default to the Light theme upon installation.

The Theme may be selected by navigating to the Client node from the left-hand navigation panel.

Changing the selected theme will prompt you to restart the Client to display the new theme.

Light Theme Example
Dark Theme Example
Classic Theme Example

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Alternative Methods

Prior to Client version 8.4 the Client configuration page in ExacqVision allowed you to change certain aspects of the ExacqVision Client software, such as the color of recording indication borders. However, the background color in ExacqVision Client was based on operating system settings.

To change the overall appearance of ExacqVision, complete the following steps in Windows (steps and options might vary slightly between Windows 7 and Windows 8):

  1. Open Control Panel.
  2. Select the Personalization option, and then Change the Theme.
  3. Select Windows 7 as the theme group, and then Windows 7 Basic as the theme.
  4. Select Windows Color.

In the Window Color and Appearance dialog, select colors as desired.

In the following example, the background has been changed to dark grey using Windows. The motion recording border has been changed to dark blue and the borders between video windows have been hidden using ExacqVision Client.

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Creating a New Array After LSI RAID Failure

Purpose

In the event of a catastrophic failure of a RAID 5 or RAID 6 array on an LSI RAID controller, this guide will explain how to remove the failed array and set up a new one.

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Step 1: Identify the failed array

  1. In the exacqVision Client, open the Config (Setup) page, identified by the gears icon, and select Storage.
  2. Select the Hardware tab and then the LSI MegaRAID SAS device. Note the Alarmed state.
  3. Scroll down the list of devices. A section of drives should be shown as Offline. They might appear under the Non-RAID section.
  4. This guide assumes that the drives listed as Offline have failed and must be replaced with new, functional drives. The computer does not have to be powered down.

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Step 2: Remove the failed array

  1. If the server was shut down, close exacqVision Client, log out of the user account, and log in to the admin account.
  2. Minimize exacqVision Client and open the LSI MegaRAID Storage Manager from Start > All Programs > MegaRAID Storage Manager > StartupUI, or by double-clicking the MegaRAID Manager icon on the Desktop (if present).
  3. The Host View page opens. Select the Host that appears in the list to display the login window.
  4. Enter the username/password — admin/admin256 (Windows) or root/exacqvisionip (Linux) — and select Login.
    NOTE:  Newer deployments (19.12 or higher) do not require username/password so you may not be prompted.  
  5. Confirm on the Dashboard tab that the controller is in a “Needs attention” state, and then navigate to the Logical tab and find Virtual Drive 0, Offline.
  6. Right-click the Virtual Drive and select Delete Virtual Drive.
  7. Select Confirm and then select Yes. This removes the field array.

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Step 3: Set up the new array

  1. Right-click on LSI MegaRAID 9271 and select Create Virtual Drive.
  2. Select Advanced and then select Next.
  3. Use the drop-down menu to select the RAID level. On systems with nine or more drives, use RAID 6. On systems with three to eight drives, use RAID 5.
  4. Select the first drive under Select Unconfigured Drives and then press Ctrl + A on the keyboard to select the remaining unconfigured drives. Then select Add.
  5. Confirm all drives have been added and then select Create Drive Group. Select Next.
  6. On Virtual drive settings, change the following sections and then select Create Virtual Drive:

    Initialization state: Fast Initialization
    Stripe size: 256 KB
    Read policy: Always Read Ahead
    Write policy: Write Back with BBU
    I/O policy: Direct IO
    Access policy: Read Write
    Disk cache policy: Disabled
  7. Select Yes. Confirm the settings of the array and then select Finish.
  8. Navigate back to the Dashboard tab. Locate the Background Operations section and confirm the new Virtual Drive has begun its Background Initialize operation.

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Step 4: Format the array and restart the exacqVision Server service (Windows Only)

  1. Select Start, right-click Computer, and select Manage.
  2. Navigate to and select Disk Management.
  3. Locate and right-click in the shaded space of Disk 1. Select New Simple Volume….
  4. Select Next. Confirm that Simple Volume Size is correct and then select Next.
  5. Confirm the Drive Letter is D and select Next.
  6. Rename the Volume Label to Data and then select Next. Then select Finish.
  7. Select Start, type services in the Search bar, and select Services.
  8. Locate and select the exacqVision Server service. Select Restart.
  9. Open the exacqVision Client and then navigate to the Config (Setup) page and select Storage.
  10. Confirm the new drive (D:) is present and Healthy.

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Step 5: Format the array and restart the exacqVision Server service (Linux Only)

  1. From the desktop open Terminal
  2. Execute the following commands: 
  3. Open the exacqVision Client and then navigatw to the Config (Setup) page and select Storage.
  4. Confirm the new drive (/mnt/edvr/1) is present and Healthy.

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Creating-a-New-Array-After-LSI-RAID-Failure.pdf
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exacqVision Multistreaming on Illustra 825 Fisheye Cameras

If you want Stream 1 on an Illustra 825 Fisheye camera to be anything other than Fisheye, you must change it in the camera’s web browser. If you have aready configured multistreaming on the camera in exacqVision Client, you must delete the multistreams before changing Stream 1 in the browser.
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The following stream combinations are supported on the camera:
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Notes

  • If Fisheye is selected as Stream 1, and Ceiling Panorama is selected as Stream 2, the rest of the streams are disabled and are not selectable for multistreaming in exacqVision Client. This is the factory-default combination.
  • Streams 3, 4, and 5 can be configured as Active Image only if Active Image is also configured on Stream 1 or 2 (or both).
  • All Active Image streams share the same video settings.
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Configure Event Linking to Include Video in Notifications Triggered by Non-Video Events

Description 

Starting with exacqVision 5.10, you can configure email notifications to include a video clip or still image from one or more cameras even if the event does not directly involve video (that is, if the event is not video motion, video loss, IP camera connection, or analytics) using Source Groups to associate video to the event.

Product 

  • exacqVision Server
  • exacqVision Client

Solution

The basic steps are:

  1. On the Event Linking age (Configuration > YOURSERVER > Configure System > Event Linking) click New
  2. In Event Type column select ‘Source Group’
  3. Below the Event Source column select New to open the Source Group Window
  4. Enter a name for the source group
  5. Tick ‘Any Source’ in the requires section
  6. Select New
  7. Select the Event Type of the trigger
  8. Select the Event Source of the trigger
  9. Select New
  10. For IP Cameras – select IP Camera Connection and the camera you would like to attach video from
  11. For Analog Cameras – select Video Loss and the input of the camera you want to attach video from
  12. Select the Action Type ‘Notify’
  13. Select the Action Target ‘Message Profile’
  14. Select Apply to save the changes and close the Source Group Window

Note: Make sure that the Attach Preview box is checked on the E-mail Message Profile being used.

WARNING: Because ‘Any Source’ must be used, and the source group includes a video loss or IP camera connection trigger a notification will be sent based on those events.

Pro Tip: Source groups can be scheduled on/off on the Schedule Page.

In this IP Cameras example when the Input Trigger – Driveway East Soft Trigger 1 goes into alarm an email will be sent along with a video clip from the Driveway East Camera using the “Gmail” E-mail Message Profile.