Canon VBCollector User manual

VBCollector
User’s Manual
E
ENGLISH

Introduction
This manual describes the installation, configuration and operational procedures for VBCollector.
Please read this manual prior to use to ensure that you will be able to use the VBCollector effectively.
Exclusion of Liability
If the Product is connected to a recording device (for example a VCR), Canon Inc. accepts no
responsibility whatsoever for any financial losses that may be incurred as a result of the loss of
recorded information or images, regardless of the internal or external cause of the loss.
Copyright Information
Video or still pictures recorded using your Network Camera VB-C50i/VB-C50iR, VB-C10/VB-C10R
and Network Camera Server VB150 cannot be used in ways that infringe copyright laws or without
the consent of the owner, unless intended for personal use only.
Notes
1. The unauthorized transfer of all or any part of the contents of this Manual is forbidden.
2. The contents of this Manual are subject to change without notice.
3. Every effort has been made to ensure that this Manual is flawless. However, if you find any
oversights, please let us know.
4. Notwithstanding the above, Canon accepts no liability for any results arising from the operation
of this product.
Trademark Notices
●Canon and Canon logo are registered trademarks of Canon Inc.
●Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States
and other countries.
●Windows is legally recognized as Microsoft Windows Operating System.
●Other brand or product names in this manual may be trademarks or registered trademarks of
their respective companies.
© Copyright 2004 CANON INC.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
1

Contents
Introduction .................................................................. 1
Contents ....................................................................... 2
Overview of VBCollector ............................................. 3
Operating Environment and Installation .................... 4
Operating Environment .............................................................. 4
Installing VBCollector................................................................. 4
Configuring and Operating the VBCollector.............. 6
Starting Up VBCollector ............................................................. 6
Registering a Server ................................................................... 6
Registering Tasks ....................................................................... 9
Executing and Canceling Tasks .............................................. 11
Details Displayed on the Task View......................................... 13
Starting/Stopping the Service ................................................. 14
Automatic Downloading by Notification ................................ 14
Viewing Recorded Images ....................................................... 16
Viewing Logs ............................................................................. 20
Setting Download Capacity ..................................................... 23
2

Downloaded image displays
Pictures recorded with
the Server’s picture
recording function
Pictures periodically collected
according to the task
Overview of VBCollector
VBCollector is used to view pictures recorded by the Network Camera VB-C50i/VB-C50iR, VB-C10/VB-
C10R and Network Camera Server VB150 (hereinafter referred to as Server). With VBCollector, you can
collect and display still pictures recorded by the Sever based on inputs from an external device, motion
detection or schedules. VBCollector accesses the Sever at specific times expressed in units such as dates,
weeks, or months, and then downloads the recorded pictures. Since the recorded pictures are saved one
after another in the PC on which VBCollector is installed, pictures can still be securely saved when the
allowable limit on the number of pictures that the Server can record and save has been exceeded.
Downloaded images can also be easily viewed in the Web browser. Information related to task execution
can also be recorded in a log.
3

c
Note
VBCollector cannot be installed on a PC where MV Ver. 2.0 or later, optional
software sold separately, has already been installed.
To Install...
If any other applications are running, please exit
them before installation. Please also be sure to
close the Windows Service Panel.
Double-click “CltSetup.exe” on the CD-ROM to start
up the installer. Click Next.
2If you agree to the clauses in the licensing
agreement, click Yes.
1
Installing VBCollector
4
Operating Environment and Installation
Operating Environment
Windows 2000 (SP4 or later)/Windows XP (SP1a or later)
Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 (SP1 or later)
Operating System
Web Browser
20GB HDD or greater (NTFS formatted)
Hard Disk
* If you configure your system to record pictures per second with servers and perform the maximum of 16 tasks (→P.11)
at the same time, it is recommended that you use a desktop PC with Pentium 4 2.2 GHz and 512MB RAM or greater.
* It is recommended that you configure to collect up to 10,000 still pictures/day per a camera server. It the total
amount of still pictures exceeds this value, it may take several minutes to display all the pictures.
•Network Camera VB-C50i/VB-C50iR
•Network Camera VB-C10/VB-C10R with Firmware Ver. 1.0 Rev. 25 or later
• Network Camera Server VB150 with Firmware Ver. 1.1 Rev. 30 or later
• Network Camera Server VB101 with Firmware Ver. 3.0 Rev. 68 or later
You should ensure the firmware version used is the latest one.
The latest firmware can be downloaded for free from the following WebView Product web page:
canon.com/webview
VBCollector Ver. 2.02
Supported Camera Servers

5Check the settings and items you have selected thus
far, and click Next to confirm. The installation will
proceed by copying files and making registry
settings, etc.
Click Finish to complete the installation.
6
When installation is complete, “VBCollector Task
View” is added to the Start menu.
5
4Specify the menu name to be registered in the
Program menu of the Start button, then click Next.
3Specify the target directory for the installation and
click Next.
If you have no special directory preference, just click
Next.

VBCollector is started up by choosing it from Start menu.
To Start Up VBCollector...
Choose [Program]-[WebView Livescope]-[VBCollector
Task View] from the Start menu to start up VBCollector.
Starting Up VBCollector
To use VBCollector, server from which the VBCollector downloads pictures must be registered.
Registering a Server
To Add a New Server...
To add a server, choose Add from the Server menu,
or click Add on the Server List dialog box that
appeared when Edit from the Server menu was
selected.
1
Adding a server
Add a new server to which VBCollector will download pictures.
6
Configuring and Operating the VBCollector

2Enter the various fields and click OK.
●Server Name
Assign a name for recognizing the Server (optional).
●Image Directory
Enter the name of the directory where downloaded images are to be saved, or click Browse to select a
directory folder. Refer to the next page for how to download images to a shared folder on the network.
Delete images on the server
When this check box is selected, pictures that VBCollector downloaded from the server will also be deleted
from the server.
●Server information
Host Name
Specify an IP address or a host name.
HTTP Port
Enter the HTTP port number set in the server. (The default setting is 80.)
Administrator Account
Enter an administrator account registered in the server (root).
Administrator Password
Enter the administrator password registered in the server. (The default setting is VB-C50i.)
Settings Page URL
Enter the “Path” to the setting title page set in the server (admin).
●Proxy
Use Proxy Server
Select if connecting through a proxy server.
Host Name
Specify a host name or IP address for the proxy server.
Port
Enter a port number for the proxy server. (The default setting is 8080.)
●PPP
Use PPP connection
Select if connection will be established by dialing up.
PPP Connection Name
Select a phone number from the phone book entry. A dialup network will need to have been installed and
the phone number will need to have been registered in the phone book.
Account
Enter the PPP account to be used for the dialup connection.
Password
Enter the PPP password to be used for the dialup connection.
7

Configuring and Operating the VBCollector
e
Tip
Downloading images to a shared folder on the network
●You cannot specify a path name that uses a network drive in the “Image
Directory” setting. Use UNC notation to specify the path name.
\\PC name\shared directory name[\path]
Eg) \\Server\Share\path
●Set the folder access privileges for the “Image Directory” folder so that read/
write operations can be performed from machines with VBCollector installed.
●In case of using VBCollector in Windows 2000/XP, make the logon account
setting for VBCollector task scheduler service in the following procedure
(→P. 23).
1. Choose Options from Tools menu.
2. Select [Specify an account for downloading] under [Details] in the
option dialog.
3. Enter your user name and password.
4. Click OK.
*Specify an account from which you can log on to the download
destination machine.
*Set the folder access privileges so that read and write operations can
be performed from the download execution account to the folder in
which VBCollector is installed (the default setting is C:\ProgramFiles\
Canon\WebView\VB\VBCollector\2.0).
8
c
Note
●If using Windows 2000 or Windows XP, operate VBCollector with an
authority greater than PowerUser.
●NTFS is recommended for such file systems containing the installation
folder and the folder where images are saved.
●When using NTFS in the file system, set to permit reading and writing of
the installation folder and the folder where images are saved.
Functionality is limited if you do not have authority.

To Edit Server Information...
Editing Server Information
Content of the registered server information can be edited.
Choose Edit from the Server menu, and when the
Server List dialog box appears, select the server
name to be edited and click Edit.
To delete a registered server, click Delete.
1
2As with the procedure for adding servers, change all
desired items and click OK.
c
Note
Downloaded images are not deleted when a server is deleted. To delete
downloaded images, first follow the procedure in “Deleting Images” (→P.
19) and then delete the server.
Registering Tasks
To Add a New Task...
To add a task, choose New Task from the Task
menu.
1
Adding a task
Add a new task for downloading images.
9

2
●Task Name
Assign a name to the task.
Enable this setting
Select “Enable this setting” if the task is to be performed according to the schedule. If not selected, the
added task will not be executed.
●Server Name
Select the server from which the VBCollector downloads recorded pictures. If there are no servers registered
in the list, you can register servers by selecting a blank column and clicking the “Server Settings”.
Server Settings
Any download server name can be registered (→P. 7). After registration, it can be selected from the “Server
Name” column.
●Schedule
Start Date
Set the date which is to be the starting point of the schedule. The task will be executed after the specified
start date according to the criteria specified below.
Start Time
Set the time when the task is to start up (in 24-hour format).
Once
Select if the task is to be executed only once. The task will be executed only once at the start time on the
start date.
Daily
Select if the task is to be executed once every certain number of days. This number of days can be
specified between 1 and 31.
Weekly
Select if the task is to be executed every certain number of weeks on a certain day of the week. Set the
number of weeks between 1 and 53, and specify the day of the week.
Monthly
Select if the task is to be executed every month on a certain day of the month. Set this day between 1 and
31. Or a day of the week for a certain week of the month can also be specified.
●Details
Repeat task
Select this checkbox to repeat the task at set intervals. Images are downloaded repeatedly at the specified
intervals from the Start Time to the End Time specified in the schedule. If this checkbox is left unselected,
images are downloaded once at the Start Time specified in the schedule. Once the End Time is reached,
the task is not performed. Images can be downloaded at intervals of some minutes or by specifying a
number. Enter a value between 5 and 1439 as the number of minutes. Times up to the Start Time plus
23:59 can be specified as the End Time.
Retry when an error occurs
Select this item if a task is to be executed again in the event a download does not end normally after a task
is executed. The task will be executed again a specified number of times at specified time intervals. During
this time, if the download is completed normally, further tasks will not be repeated. Specify the number of
times and the time interval at which a task is to be re-executed. For the number of times, enter a value
between 1 and 10; for the interval, enter a value between 1 and 10.
Disconnect after finishing download (for access via dial-up connections)
If the connection with the server is a dialup connection and when this item is selected, it will automatically
be disconnected when the task ends.
Enter each item and click OK.
Configuring and Operating the VBCollector
10

To Edit a Task...
Editing Tasks
The details of a registered task can be edited.
In the Task View, select the task to be edited by
clicking on its name, then choose Edit Task from the
Task menu. Or, double-click on the task to be edited.
To delete a registered task, choose Delete Task
from the Task menu.
1
2As with procedure to add a new task, change all
desired items and click OK.
Executing a task
Registered tasks are executed automatically according to pre-determined schedule when “Enable
this setting” is selected at Task Settings. If you want a task to be executed immediately, select the
desired task on the Task View and choose Execute now from the Task menu.
Executing and Canceling Tasks
c
Note
●Up to 16 tasks can be executed by VBCollector simultaneously. Please be
sure not to load a schedule with 17 or more tasks to be executed.
VBCollector is also not able to execute multiple tasks simultaneously to the
same server. Please take care to ensure that multiple tasks are not
executed to the same server by taking such measures as leaving a
sufficient time space between the “Start Time” of each task.
●If you execute a maximum of 16 tasks simultaneously, please confirm
performance of the PC on which VBCollector is installed (→P. 4). When Log
S015 “The task was running longer than the execution interval.” or D040
“File saving time took 60 sec. or more.” is output, review the settings for
the schedules such as reducing the number of tasks to be performed at the
same time.
11

Canceling a task
To disable a registered task, clear “Enable this setting” at Task Settings. To abort the execution of
a task, in the Task View, click on the task to be aborted, and choose Abort in the Task menu.
Configuring and Operating the VBCollector
12
To View Task Status
Display task status
During the execution of any task, the download status can be checked.
During the execution of any task, choose Status from
Task menu. Alternatively, select and right-click the
task for which you want to display the status and
select Status in the pop-up menu.
1
2Check the download status and click Close to close
the dialog box. If you want to cancel the download,
click Abort.
●Status
Shows the progress of download.
●Target Server
Shows the connection status with the server.
Host Name
Shows the host name of image download server set in the server information (→P. 7).
Image Directory
Shows the name of the folder, set in the server information (→P. 7), where any downloaded image is to be
saved.
Delete images on the server
When it is selected, any recorded image after download will be deleted from the server. In order to change
the checking status, change the setting in the server information (→P. 7).
●Close this dialog automatically when downloading is complete
After download is finished, this dialog will automatically be closed. During download, it is always selected.

The execution status can be checked on the Task View.
Details Displayed on the Task View
●Task Name
The names that were specified at Task Settings are displayed here. The status of each task
is displayed as an icon at the left of the name.
Running This task is currently being executed.
Waiting This task is currently standing by to be executed at the next
scheduled execution time.
Disabled “Enable this setting” for this task is not selected at Task Settings
and is currently not being executed.
Not scheduled This task is not currently scheduled for execution.
Settings damaged Inconsistencies have occurred in this task’s settings and the task
will not be executed.
●Server Name
The server names that were specified at Task Settings are displayed here.
●Next Run Time
The date and time when the task is to be executed next is displayed here.
●Last Result
The last results achieved by the task and the task end time are displayed here.
●Schedule
The start date, start time, and execution interval for each task are displayed here.
Refresh Task View Display Content
To refresh the Task View content to reflect the most recent information, choose Refresh from the
View menu.
13
e
Tip
An automatic download is displayed as with the task name “Task by Notification”.

Configuring and Operating the VBCollector
14
Starting/Stopping the Service
The task scheduler service can be started and stopped.
To Make Settings...
Choose Start Service or Stop Service from the Tools
menu. If the service has started, Stop Service is
enabled in the menu; if the service is stopped, Start
Service is enabled.
2When the Confirmation dialog box appears, click
OK.
1
Automatic Downloading by Notification
You will not be able to record images if there is insufficient space on the server. VBCollector can
receive a low server capacity notification sent from the server when available space on the server
falls below the value set, and automatically downloads images to a specified PC, thereby
increasing the available space on the server.
Choose Automatic Download by Notification in the
Tools menu.
2Perform the settings relating to notification.
1
● Server List
Displays a list of the servers from which the images can be downloaded. The settings relating
to notification of each server registered with this tool (→P. 6) are shown in this list.
●Server Name
Displays the names of the servers registered with this tool.
●Notification
Displays the setting for whether the server will send a low server warning message when
available space on the server reaches the value set (→P. 15).

15
●Free space (MB)
Displays the setting value for available space on the server. When available space has
fallen below this setting, the server sends a low server capacity warning message.
●Host
Displays the name of the host which will send the low server capacity warning message.
●Port
Displays the TCP port of the host.
●Server status display area
Displays the status of the selected server. Depending on the server conditions, you may or
may not be able to specify settings in Server Setting and Notification Settings.
“The Notification Function is available for the server”
Both Server Setting and Notification Settings are available.
“The server does not support the Notification Function” and “Failed to connect to the server”
The Server Setting is available but the Notification Settings is not.
“The server information is invalid”
The Server Setting is available but the Notification Settings is not.
“None”
Neither the Server Setting nor the Notification Settings is available.
●Reception Port No.
Specifies the TCP port number which will receive the low server capacity warning message
from the server. The default is 1906.
●[Apply] button
Saves a change to the reception port number in the registry. If you make a change, a dialog
box is displayed. Click Yes and the transmission port of each server is also changed.
●[Server Setting] button
Displays a dialog box with information about the selected server for editing (→P. 7).
●[Notification Settings] button
For performing notification settings for the selected server.
Click the “Notification Settings” button to set a value
for available space for the server to give a low
server capacity notification.
3
Send notification when server space gets low
Select to send a low server capacity notification when available space on the server is
insufficient.
Available disk space of the server
Set a value for available space at which the server will send a low server capacity notification.
When available space on the server falls below the value set, a low server capacity notification
is sent.

Configuring and Operating the VBCollector
16
Viewing Recorded Images
Displaying Images
Downloaded images are selected by server name and date, and displayed in a Web browser.
The images that were downloaded according to the task schedule are saved in the folder specified
at Server Information. You can view images easily by outputting these recorded images to a Web
browser.
To View Pictures...
Choose Display Images in the Tools menu.
2The Image List dialog box appears. Select the
server name to be viewed, select the date of the list
to be displayed, and click the Display Image.
1
e
Tip
●Where “Host” is displayed as “(Other)” or where the transmission port and the
reception port are different, you cannot receive a low server capacity notification.
●“--------” is displayed where server information such as the host name or the HTTP
port number has not been entered correctly, or in the case of servers other than
the VB-C50i(R) which support the low server capacity notification function.
●If “Host” is not “(Other)” or “Port” is not “Reception Port No.” in the selected
server, a message asking you to confirm whether it is okay to change the setting
values will be displayed. Click Yes and a dialog box appears.
●If the server that sends the notification is in the middle of a task, there is no
automatic downloading during normal tasks.
●If there is a setting value for the maximum number of downloaded images, only
the specified number will be downloaded.
●Images on the server are deleted regardless of the setting for deletion of the
images on the server.
●When large images are recorded each second, the server will run out of capacity
before it can send a notification, and picture recording may stop working.
●When the server capacity falls below the set value, a notification will be sent from
the server every 30 seconds.

4
5When you click Detail Display in the above screen,
detailed information on the images in the thumbnail
screen is displayed. Click on the image to be
viewed; it is displayed in the original saved
dimensions.
HTML for displaying the images is generated, the
Web browser starts up, and thumbnail images of the
selected date are displayed in 100-image units on
the page. Click on the image to be viewed; it is
displayed in the original saved dimensions.
17
3When the confirmation dialog box appears, click OK.
To View Animation
1
Animate images
Downloaded images can be selected using the server name and date to be animated
(consecutive display). The images can also be shown in detail or zoomed in/out.
Choose Display Images from Tools menu.

Image List dialog will be displayed. Select the name
of the server where you want to browse and click to
select the date of any image to be animated. Then,
click Animation.
2
Animation dialog will be displayed. As dialog size,
large or normal size is available and is automatically
selected depending on the original image size.
3
Status bar
Shows the image file name and “Current image number/
total number of images”.
Image data display area
Shows the detail image data.
Image Display area
Shows any image of the selected
recording date. If the image size is
greater than the display area, the
image display position can be moved
with scroll bar.
●Animation
Images can consecutively be displayed.
[Top] button Shows the original image.
[Prev] button Shows the previous image.
[Play/Pause] button Plays/pauses the animation.
[Next] button Shows the next image.
[Last] button Shows the final image.
[Speed] bar Adjust the speed for animation
playback.
e
Tip
During animation, [Top], [Prev], [Next] or [Last] button cannot be used. If you
want to use any, click [Play/Pause] button to stop the animation.
Configuring and Operating the VBCollector
18

To Delete Images...
Stop the task schedule of the tool. Choose Delete
Image from the Tools menu. In the Image List dialog
box, select the name of the server that the
VBCollector downloaded the images to be deleted,
select the date to be deleted by clicking on it, then
click Delete Image.
Deleting Images
Downloaded images can be deleted.
●Zoom in/out
Images can be zoomed in/out.
[Magnification] Shows the current magnification (10~500%).
[Zoom in] button Enlarges images by 10%.
[Zoom out] button Reduces images by 10%.
[Move] button If any image size is greater than the display area, you
can move the image display position. Click Move to
position the mouse cursor on the image changes the
cursor into . Move while pressing the left mouse
button on the image. The image display position will
be moved.
●Change dialog size
As dialog size, large or normal size is available and is automatically selected depending on
the initial image size. However, you can also change it manually.
[Large size] button When it is clicked, the dialog will be displayed in large
size. It appears when normal dialog size is displayed.
[Normal size] button When it is clicked, the dialog will be displayed in
normal size. It appears when large dialog size is
displayed.
19