Avigilon VMA-AS1-8P User manual

User Guide
Avigilon™ HD Video Appliance Models:
VMA-AS1-8P, VMA-AS1-16P and VMA-AS1-24P

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PDF-VMA-AS1-A
Revision: 3 - EN
20160115
ii

Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Configuring Windows Embedded 7 2
Licensing the Avigilon Control Center System 3
Internet Activation 3
Manual Activation 3
Adding Licenses 4
Configuring the Network 5
Configuring a No DHCP Network 5
Configuring an External DHCP Network 6
Configuring an Internal DHCP Network 7
Configuring the Avigilon Control Center Software 12
Starting Up and Shutting Down the Avigilon Control Center Client Software 12
Starting Up the Client Software 12
Shutting Down the Client Software 12
Logging Into and Out of a Site 13
Logging In 13
Logging Out 13
Changing the Administrator Password 14
Connecting Cameras to the Avigilon Control Center System 14
Setting the Recording Schedule 15
Creating a Recording Template 15
Setting Up a Weekly Recording Schedule 16
Setting Data Aging 16
Adding Users and Groups 17
Adding Groups 18
Adding Users 18
Advanced Settings 19
LED Indicators 21
Restarting the Operating System 22
Replacing a Hard Drive 23
Limited Warranty & Technical Support 26
iii

Introduction
The Avigilon HD Video Appliance is the all-in-one solution for network video recording. The video appliance
includes:
lA network switch to connect and power IP cameras.
lBuilt-in server and storage to run the Avigilon Control Center™ Server and retain recorded video content.
lVideo ports to display live video and allow users to operate the Avigilon Control Center Client software
directly from the appliance.
This guide describes how to configure the system after the appliance has been powered and is connected with
keyboard, mouse and monitor. It is recommended that cameras not be connected to the appliance until after the
appropriate network configuration has been set up.
1Introduction

Configuring Windows Embedded 7
When you start the HD Video Appliance for the first time, you will need to configure the Windows operating
system that is installed on the appliance.
1. On the first screen, carefully scroll through the list and select your preferred language.
NOTE: You will not be able to change this setting after Windows applies your settings at the end of this
procedure.
Figure 1: The language selection screen during initial Windows set up.
2. Click Next.
3. Select your locale preferences then click Next.
4. Enter a user name for accessing the appliance. You can also enter a unique computer name or use the
default. When you are ready, click Next.
5. Set a password for the user name you entered on the previous screen. When you are ready, click Next.
6. On the following page is the end user license agreement for the Windows operating system. Review the
terms then select the I accept the license terms check box and click Next.
7. Select the correct date and time for the system then click Next.
8. Select the network mode for the appliance. The recommended option is Work Network.
Next, Windows applies all your settings and restarts. Once restarted, you will need to license your Avigilon
Control Center system.
Configuring Windows Embedded 7 2

Licensing the Avigilon Control Center System
Before you can configure cameras and monitor live or recorded video, you will need to activate your Avigilon
Control Center software license. The license is provided with the appliance.
After the appliance reboots, the first screen you see is the Avigilon Control Center software license wizard.
Other parts of the Avigilon Control Center system may start while you perform this procedure, but you will not be
able to use any of the features until after license activation is complete.
1. Click License Activation.
2. On the following screen, select one of the following:
lInternet Activation – If the appliance has an internet connection, select this option to quickly
license the Avigilon Control Center software.
lManual Activation – If the appliance is not currently connected to the internet or you plan to keep
the system in a private intranet, select this option.
Internet Activation
1. On the Enter Product Key page, enter your license key. A green check mark will appear beside your
license key when it is correct.
2. Click Next.
3. On the Product Registration page, enter your contact information to receive product updates. Then click
Next.
4. The Admin Tool connects to the Avigilon licensing server and activates the license.
When the Activation Succeeded message is displayed, click Finish.
Manual Activation
1. Click Step 1: Generate Activation File.
2. On the Enter Product Key page, enter your license key.
A green check mark will appear beside your license key when it is correct.
3. Click Next.
4. On the Select Activation File page, confirm where the activation file will be saved. Click [...] to navigate to
a different file location.
You can rename the activation file, but you must keep the .key extension.
5. Click Next.
On the following page, you will see the Activation File Saved message.
6. Find the saved activation file and copy the file to a computer with internet access.
3Licensing the Avigilon Control Center System

7. Open a web browser and go to http://activate.avigilon.com.
8. At the Avigilon License Activation web page, click Browse to locate your activation file then click
Upload.
9. The activated license file should download automatically. If not, allow the download to occur when you
are prompted.
10. Complete the product registration section to receive product updates from Avigilon, then click Register.
11. Find the downloaded license file and copy the file to the appliance.
12. If the Activation File Saved message is still displayed in the Add License wizard, click Next. Otherwise
skip this step.
13. Click Step 2: Add License File.
14. On the Import License File page, click [...] to locate the license file then click Next.
15. When the Activation Succeeded message is displayed, click Finish.
Adding Licenses
If you ever choose to upgrade your existing license to a different edition, you would need to perform the
licensing procedure again. However, you would access the Add License wizard from the Avigilon Control
Center Server Admin Tool software.
1. To open the Admin Tool, perform one of the following:
lSelect All Programs or All Apps > Avigilon > Avigilon Control Center Server > Avigilon Control
Center Server Admin Tool.
lFrom the appliance desktop, double-click .
2. In the Admin Tool window, select the Settings tab and click Licensing.
3. Click Add License.
4. Complete either the Internet Activation or Manual Activation procedure to add the new license to your
current system.
Adding Licenses 4

Configuring the Network
Depending on how you intend to use the HD Video Appliance, you may choose to configure the network switch
component of the appliance differently.
The three most typical network configurations are:
1. No DHCP server — the HD Video Appliance and the connected cameras will run as a self contained
system without a DHCP server.
This configuration is most likely used by a small business that may not have a network infrastructure, and
prefers to use the HD Video Appliance like a traditional closed circuit surveillance system.
2. External DHCP server — the HD Video Appliance and the connected cameras will work with an existing
DHCP server on the network.
This configuration is most likely used by a small office that already has some network infrastructure that
will be used with the appliance, like a router that gives the office computers internet access.
3. Internal DHCP server — the HD Video Appliance will act as the local DHCP server for the connected
cameras and any other devices that may also be connected to the appliance.
NOTE: The HD Video Appliance is intended to be used for connecting and powering IP cameras, not for
general computer networking. However, if you prefer, the appliance can be configured to do so.
This configuration is most likely used by a small business that prefers to use the appliance switch
component instead of a router for connecting all network devices together. Other network devices can
include voice over ip (VoIP) phones or external network drives.
Complete the procedure that will configure your preferred network:
Configuring a No DHCP Network 5
Configuring an External DHCP Network 6
Configuring an Internal DHCP Network 7
Configuring a No DHCP Network
If you plan to connect cameras directly to the HD Video Appliance and run a self contained system, all you need
to do is connect cameras directly to the numbered ports.
5Configuring the Network

Figure 2: Example of no DHCP network connections on an 8 port HD Video Appliance.
Avigilon cameras are able to assign IP addresses to themselves when a DHCP server is not available through
Zero Configuration Networking (Zeroconf). The Avigilon Control Center software should automatically detect all
connected cameras through the 169.254.1.0/16 subnet.
If you would like to access the internet through the HD Video Appliance, you can add an internet connection to
the U2 port. The U2 port is separate from the numbered camera ports, so it will not interfere with video
recording.
After you connect cameras to the numbered ports, you can configure the Avigilon Control Center system. See
Configuring the Avigilon Control Center Software on page 12.
Configuring an External DHCP Network
If you already have a router, or switch, to connect your other network devices, you can connect the HD Video
Appliance directly to the router so that cameras can be addressed using the router's built-in DHCP service.
Figure 3: Example of external DHCP network connections on a 16 port HD Video Appliance
1. Connect a network cable from the router or switch to the appliance's U1 port.
2. Connect Avigilon cameras to the numbered ports.
Configuring an External DHCP Network 6

3. If you would like to access the internet through the HD Video Appliance, you can add an internet
connection to the U2 port. The U2 port is separate from the numbered camera ports, so it will not interfere
with video recording.
After you've made the required network and camera connections, you can configure the Avigilon Control Center
system. See Configuring the Avigilon Control Center Software on page 12.
Configuring an Internal DHCP Network
If you plan to connect other network devices to the HD Video Appliance, you may need to set up the appliance
to be a DHCP server. Some network devices rely on a DHCP server to receive an IP address before it can work.
NOTE: After you setup the internal DHCP server, do not connect any external DHCP servers to the appliance or
there may be address conflicts and cause connection issues.
Tip: If you are only going to connect Avigilon cameras to the appliance, you do not need to set up a DHCP
server. For more information, see Configuring a No DHCP Network on page 5.
1. From the appliance, access the Windows Network Connections window.
lSelect Start > Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change adapter settings.
lFrom the Start menu, search for ncpa.cpl.
2. In the Network Connections window, right-click the Local Area Connection for the Intel Gigabit Network
Interface and select Properties.
Figure 4: The Network Connections dialog box
3. In the following dialog box, double-click Internet Protocol Version 4(TCP/IPv4).
7Configuring an Internal DHCP Network

4. Assign a static IP address for the appliance so that it can connect to the switch component.
By default, the appliance is not connected to the switch component. The appliance must be connected
to the switch component before you can configure the system to be a DHCP server.
The default IP address of the switch component is 192.168.50.1. Do not assign this address for the
appliance. You can use 192.168.50.2or higher. It is recommended that you only change the last digit.
Figure 5: The Internet Protocol Properties dialog box
a. In the Use the following IP address field, enter 192.168.50.2 or the IP address you prefer.
b. In the Subnet mask field, enter 255.255.255.0 if it is not automatically entered.
c. Click OK to save your changes.
Configuring an Internal DHCP Network 8

5. Open the Switch Management Console.
a. In a web browser, enter 192.168.50.1 into the address bar.
Figure 6: The Switch Management Console Log In screen
b. When the log in screen appears, enter the default ID and password:
lID: admin
lPassword: system
c. Click OK.
6. Once you are logged in, click DHCP Server Settings from the left menu pane.
9Configuring an Internal DHCP Network

7. In the Server State setting area, select Enable then click Update.
Figure 7: The DHCP Server Settings page
The appliance is now set to act as a DHCP server.
As you add cameras and network devices, the IP address for each item will be listed beside the
connected port number.
NOTE: The U1 port on the HD Video Appliance is not part of this DHCP setting. Only the PoE camera ports
broadcast DHCP.
8. Connect Avigilon cameras and other network devices to the numbered ports.
Each connected device is automatically assigned an IP address by the appliance.
Figure 8: Example cable connections on an 8 port HD Video Appliance.
Configuring an Internal DHCP Network 10

9. If you would like to access the internet through the HD Video Appliance, you can add an internet
connection to the U2 port. The U2 port is separate from the numbered camera ports, so it will not interfere
with video recording.
After you've made the required network and camera connections, you can configure the Avigilon Control Center
system. See Configuring the Avigilon Control Center Software on page 12.
11 Configuring an Internal DHCP Network

Configuring the Avigilon Control Center Software
After you set up and license the HD Video Appliance, it is recommended that you complete the following steps
to configure the Avigilon Control Center system.
For more information about any of the following procedures, see the help files provided with the Avigilon
Control Center Client software.
Starting Up and Shutting Down the Avigilon Control Center Client Software 12
Logging Into and Out of a Site 13
Changing the Administrator Password 14
Connecting Cameras to the Avigilon Control Center System 14
Setting the Recording Schedule 15
Setting Data Aging 16
Adding Users and Groups 17
Advanced Settings 19
Starting Up and Shutting Down the Avigilon Control Center Client
Software
After you install the Avigilon Control Center Client software, start the application and access the HD Video
Appliance.
Starting Up the Client Software
Perform one of the following:
lIn the Start menu, select All Programs or All Apps > Avigilon > Avigilon Control Center Client.
lDouble-click the shortcut icon on the desktop.
lFrom the AvigilonControl Center Admin Tool, click Launch Control Center Client. For more information,
see the AvigilonControl Center Server User Guide.
When you are prompted, log in to your Site. You can only access cameras and video after you log in.
Once the application has started, it will automatically display a list of all the Sites that are connected to the same
network, including the HD Video Appliance. You will be prompted to log in to all Sites.
Shutting Down the Client Software
1. In the top-right corner of the Client software, select > Exit.
2. When the confirmation dialog box appears, click Yes.
Configuring the Avigilon Control Center Software 12

Logging Into and Out of a Site
After you start the Client software, you are immediately asked to log in to a Site. By default, the HD Video
Appliance is automatically added to the system as a server within a Site of the same name.
The default username is administrator with no password.
Logging In
1. Open the Site Login tab. The Site Login tab is automatically displayed if you are launching the Client
software for the first time.
To manually access the Site Login tab, do one of the following:
lFrom the top-right corner of the window, select > Log In....
lFrom the top of the application window, click to open the New Task menu then click
2. On the left side of the Site Login tab, select one or more Sites.
If the Site you want to log into is not shown, click Find Site... to discover the Site.
3. Enter your username and password for the selected Sites.
Or, select the Use current Windows credentials check box to automatically use the same username and
password as your computer.
NOTE: If you are unable to login using your current Windows credentials, your system may be using
Kerberos as a network authentication protocol. Contact your network administrator for help.
4. Click Log In.
You are logged into the selected Sites.
If you want to be notified when new or disconnected Sites come online, select the Notify me when additional
sites become available check box.
If you want to see the login page each time you launch the Client software, select the Show this tab on startup
check box. If you prefer not to login each time, you can disable this option and configure automatic login from
the Client Settings... dialog box.
Logging Out
You can log out of one or all Sites at any time.
To... Do this...
Log out of one or select Sites lIn the System Explorer, select one or more Sites then right-click and
select Log Out.
Log out of all Sites 1. In the top-right corner of the Client, select > Log Out.
2. In the confirmation dialog box, click Yes.
13 Logging Into and Out of a Site

Changing the Administrator Password
After you log in for the first time, it is recommended that you change the default administrator password.
1. At the top of the application window, click to open the New Task menu. When the menu appears,
click .
2. In the Setup tab, click .
3. In the following dialog box, select the administrator user name and click .
4. Click Change Password....
5. In the following dialog box, enter a new password then confirm the new password.
6. Click OK.
Tip: If you forget the default administrator password, resetting the password requires restoring the factory
default settings on every server in the Site. To avoid this issue, it is highly recommended that you create at least
one other administrator level user as a backup.
Connecting Cameras to the Avigilon Control Center System
After all the cameras in your system have been physically connected to the HD Video Appliance, you need to
connect the cameras to the Avigilon Control Center system so that video can be recorded and indexed for
search.
1. In the Site Setup tab, click .
The Connect/Disconnect Cameras... tab is displayed.
2. In the Discovered Cameras area, select one or more devices then click Connect....
Tip: You can also drag the device to a server on the Connected Cameras list.
3. In the Connect Camera dialog box, select the server you want the device to connect to.
NOTE: If you are connecting multiple devices, all the cameras must use the same connection settings.
4. If you are connecting a third-party device, you may choose to connect the device by its native driver. In
the Camera Type: drop down list, select the device's brand name. If there is only one option in the drop
down list, the system only supports one type of driver from the device.
5. In the Connection Type: drop down list, select Primary. The device will automatically connect to this
server if they are in the same network.
If you are creating a failover connection, select Secondary or Tertiary.
6. In the License Priority: drop down list, select the appropriate license priority. The highest priority is 1and
the lowest priority is 5.
NOTE: This option is only available if you are connecting to a secondary or tertiary server.
Changing the Administrator Password 14

The License Priority: setting decides the order that devices are connected to the server. The server will
try to connect cameras with a higher priority before cameras with lower priority. If the server does not
have enough camera channel licenses, low priority devices may not be connected. A camera channel
license is only used when the device actually connects to the server.
7. If the camera supports a secure connection, the Camera Control: drop down list is displayed. Select one
of the following options:
NOTE: The setting may not be displayed if the camera only supports one of the options.
lSecure — The system will protect and secure the camera's configuration and login details. This
option is selected by default.
lUnsecure — The camera's configuration and login details will not be secured and may be
accessible to users with unauthorized access.
Cameras with a secure connection are identified with the icon in the Status column.
8. If it is not displayed, click to display the Site View Editor and choose where the device appears in the
System Explorer.
lIf your Site includes virtual sub-sites, select a location for the device. The list on the right updates to
show what is stored in that directory.
lIn the Site directory, drag the device up and down to set where it is displayed.
lIf you are connecting multiple devices at the same time, the selected devices must be assigned to
the same sub-site
Tip: If the Site you want is not listed, you may need to connect the device to a different server. Make sure
the selected server is connected to the Site you want.
9. Click OK.
10. If the device is password protected, the Camera Authentication dialog box appears. Enter the device's
username and password then click OK.
Setting the Recording Schedule
Once all the cameras have been connected, you can set when you want each camera to record video.
By default, all connected cameras are set to record when events are detected by the system. You can skip this
procedure if you prefer to keep the default settings.
Before you can assign a recording schedule, you must create a template. The template allows you to assign the
same schedule to multiple cameras.
Creating a Recording Template
The events that can be selected for the template depend on the licensed features in your system.
1. In the server Setup tab, click . The Recording Schedule dialog box is displayed.
2. Click Add Template below the Templates: list.
15 Setting the Recording Schedule

3. Enter a name for the New Template.
4. Click the Set Area button, then click or drag the cursor across the Recording Mode: timeline to set the
types of events that the cameras will record throughout the day. Individual rectangles on the Recording
Mode: timeline are colored when they have been selected.
The Recording Mode: options include:
lContinuous — record video constantly.
lMotion — Only record video when motion is detected.
lDigital Inputs — Only record video when a digital input is activated.
lAlarms — Only record video when an alarm is activated.
lPOS Transactions — Only record video when a point of sale (POS) transaction is made.
lLicense Plates — Only record video when a license plate is detected.
5. To disable recording in parts of the template, click the Clear Area button then click or drag the cursor
across the timeline to remove the set recording areas.
6. If cameras are not recording in Continuous mode all day, you can set cameras to record reference
images between events in the recording schedule.
lSelect the Record a reference image every: check box then set the time between each
reference image.
Setting Up a Weekly Recording Schedule
You can set up a weekly recording schedule by applying templates to cameras for each day of the week.
1. In the server Setup tab, click . The Recording Schedule dialog box is displayed.
2. Select a template from the Templates: list.
3. In the Default Week area, click the days of the week this template applies to for each camera.
Figure 9: The Recording Schedule dialog box: Default Week
4. Click OK.
Setting Data Aging
Data aging defines how long recorded video is stored and the quality of the video as it ages over time. In the
Avigilon Control Center system, the recorded image rate is slowly reduced so that recorded video can be
viewed over a longer period of time while still making room for new recordings. You can adjust how long the full
image rate video is kept, so that you have the best quality video when you need it.
Setting Up a Weekly Recording Schedule 16

The amount of data aging that is available depends on the camera you have connected to your system:
lFor JPEG2000 or JPEG compression cameras, Data Aging is available at three rates:
lFull Image Rate and Resolution keeps recordings at their original quality.
lHalf Image Rate discards half of the recorded data to make room for new recordings.
lQuarter Image Rate keeps 1/4 of the original recorded data so that you can still see older video.
lFor H.264 cameras that support Data Aging, Data Aging is available at two rates:
lFull Image Rate and Resolution keeps the original high quality video and the secondary stream of
low resolution video.
lLow Resolution only keeps the secondary stream of low resolution video.
NOTE: The Data Aging can only occur when the secondary stream is enabled.
lFor H.264 cameras that do not support Data Aging, only the Full Image Rate and Resolution video is kept.
By default, the system is set to keep recorded video for the maximum amount of time based on the available
storage.
NOTE: The listed Total Record Time is an estimate only.
1. In the server Setup tab, click .
The Recording and Bandwidth dialog box is displayed.
The Data Aging column shows an estimate of the recording time that is available at each image rate,
given the amount of space on the recording device.
2. In the Data Aging column, move the sliders to adjust the amount of time video is stored at each image
rate.
lTo change the data aging settings for all linked cameras, move the slider for one linked camera
and all linked cameras will be updated.
lTo change the data aging setting for one camera, break the camera's link to other cameras by
clicking the icon to the left of its name, then make your changes.
3. In the Max. Record Time, manually enter a maximum record time or select one of the options from the
drop down list for each camera.
NOTE: If the time estimated in the Total Record Time column is shorter than what is set in the Max. Record
Time column, the camera's actual recording time will be shorter than the Max. Record Time.
4. Click OK.
Adding Users and Groups
If there will be other people using the system, you may want to add them as separate users rather than giving
them access through the default administrator account.
Before you can add individual users, you will need to add permission groups that define what users have access
to. By default, the system has the following groups:
17 Adding Users and Groups