OnSSI RC-P User manual

Recording Component (RC-P)
User Manual
© 2011 On-Net Surveillance Systems Inc.

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On-Net Surveillance Systems, Inc.
One Blue Hill Plaza, 7th Floor, PO Box 1555
Pearl River, NY 10965
Phone: [phone] | Fax: [phone]
Web: www.onssi.com
000051911-1653-RC-P1.0-OC2.0(3.0.0.10)
Legal Notice
This product manual is intended for general information purposes only, and due care has been taken in its preparation.
Any risk arising from the use of this information rests with the recipient, and nothing herein should be construed as constituting any
kind of warranty.
© 2002-2011 On-Net Surveillance Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. OnSSI and the ‘Eye’ logo are registered trademarks of On-Net
Surveillance Systems, Inc. Ocularis, Ocularis Client, Ocularis Client Lite, Ocularis Video Synopsis, NetEVS, NetDVMS, NetDVR, RC-P,
NetGuard, NetGuard-EVS, NetSwitcher, NetMatrix, NetCentral, NetTransact, NetPDA and NetCell are trademarks of On-Net
Surveillance Systems, Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
On-Net Surveillance Systems, Inc. reserves the right to change product specifications without prior notice.

RC-P User Manual Table Of Contents
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Table Of Contents
System & Requirements ........................................................................................................ 1
System Overview ..................................................................................................................................... 1
Several Targeted Components in One.................................................................................................................... 1
Updates ......................................................................................................................................................................... 1
Minimum System Requirements ........................................................................................................... 2
Administrator Rights................................................................................................................................ 2
Important Port Numbers......................................................................................................................... 3
Virus Scanning Information ................................................................................................................... 3
Time Server Recommended................................................................................................................... 3
Installation ................................................................................................................................. 4
Installation................................................................................................................................................. 4
Upgrade...................................................................................................................................................... 4
Upgrade from a Previous Version ............................................................................................................................ 4
Getting Started.......................................................................................................................... 6
Features ..................................................................................................................................................... 6
Get Your System Up and Running ........................................................................................................ 6
Access the Management Application .................................................................................................... 7
Use the Built-in Help System................................................................................................................. 7
Navigating the Built-in Help System....................................................................................................................... 8
Printing Help Topics.................................................................................................................................................... 8
Wizards......................................................................................................................................... 9
Overview of Wizards................................................................................................................................ 9
Configuration & Properties ................................................................................................ 10
Archiving Extends Recording Storage .................................................................................................10
Storing Archives at Other Locations than the Default Archiving Directory................................................... 10
Dynamic Path Selection for Archives .................................................................................................................... 11
Archiving Audio.......................................................................................................................................................... 11
Different Drives: Automatic Archiving if Database Drive Runs Out of Disk Space...................................... 12
Same Drive: Automatic Moving or Deletion of Archives if Running Out of Disk Space.............................. 12
Archives Stored Locally............................................................................................................................................ 13
Exported Archives ..................................................................................................................................................... 13
Configure Archiving Locations ..............................................................................................................14
Configure Archiving Schedules .............................................................................................................14
Audio ........................................................................................................................................... 15
Add Audio Sources ..................................................................................................................................15
Add Audio Sources ..................................................................................................................................15
Configure Microphones...........................................................................................................................15
Microphone (Properties) ........................................................................................................................15
Cameras & Recordings ......................................................................................................... 16
Add Cameras & Other Hardware Devices...........................................................................................16
Configure Video & Recording ................................................................................................................16
View Video from Cameras in the Management Application ............................................................17
Configure When Cameras Should Do What........................................................................................17
Monitor Storage Space Usage...............................................................................................................17
Database Resizing...................................................................................................................................17
Disable or Delete Cameras....................................................................................................................17
Wizards ....................................................................................................................................................................... 18
Configure Video & Recording Wizard...................................................................................................18
Adjust Motion Detection Wizard ...........................................................................................................18
General Recording & Storage Properties ..................................................................... 19
Recording & Archiving Paths.................................................................................................................19
Dynamic Path Selection .........................................................................................................................19
Video Recording.......................................................................................................................................20
Manual Recording....................................................................................................................................21
Frame Rate - MJPEG ...............................................................................................................................22
Frame Rate - MPEG.................................................................................................................................23

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Audio Selection........................................................................................................................................24
Audio Recording ......................................................................................................................................25
Storage Information ...............................................................................................................................25
Camera-Specific Properties................................................................................................ 26
Camera......................................................................................................................................................26
Frame Rate...............................................................................................................................................26
Video..........................................................................................................................................................27
Audio..........................................................................................................................................................27
Recording Settings..................................................................................................................................27
Recording & Archiving Paths.................................................................................................................28
Event Notification ....................................................................................................................................29
Output .......................................................................................................................................................30
Motion Detection & Exclude Regions ...................................................................................................30
PTZ Preset Positions ...............................................................................................................................32
PTZ on Event............................................................................................................................................34
Events, Input & Output........................................................................................................ 35
Overview of Events, Input & Output ...................................................................................................35
Configure General Event Handling.......................................................................................................36
Add a Hardware Input Event ................................................................................................................36
Add a Manual Event................................................................................................................................37
Add a Timer Event ..................................................................................................................................37
Add a Hardware Output .........................................................................................................................38
Configure Hardware Output on Event .................................................................................................38
General Event Properties .................................................................................................... 39
Ports & Polling..........................................................................................................................................39
Event- & Output-Specific Properties .............................................................................. 40
Hardware Input Event ............................................................................................................................40
Manual Event ...........................................................................................................................................40
Timer Event..............................................................................................................................................41
Hardware Output.....................................................................................................................................41
Hardware Devices .................................................................................................................. 42
Add Hardware Devices ...........................................................................................................................42
Configure Hardware Devices.................................................................................................................42
Use Dedicated Input/Output Devices ..................................................................................................43
Replace Hardware Devices ....................................................................................................................43
Delete Hardware Devices ......................................................................................................................43
Add Hardware Devices Wizard ......................................................................................... 44
Express Method .......................................................................................................................................44
Advanced Method....................................................................................................................................44
Manual Method ........................................................................................................................................44
Import from CSV File Method ...............................................................................................................44
Cameras and Server Are Online ............................................................................................................................ 45
Camera and Server Are Offline .............................................................................................................................. 45
Optional Parameters................................................................................................................................................. 45
Replace Hardware Device Wizard ........................................................................................................47
Properties: Name & Video Channels....................................................................................................47
Network, Device Type & License..........................................................................................................48
PTZ Device................................................................................................................................................48
Licenses...................................................................................................................................... 50
Import DLKs (Device License Keys) ....................................................................................................50
Specify a New SLC (Software License Code).....................................................................................50
Ocularis Base SLC ..................................................................................................................................................... 50
Recording Component (RC-P) SLC ........................................................................................................................ 50
Logging....................................................................................................................................... 51
Overview of Logs.....................................................................................................................................51
Configure System, Event and Audit Logging .....................................................................................52
Properties: Logs ......................................................................................................................................52
Management Application..................................................................................................... 54

RC-P User Manual Table Of Contents
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Apply or Save Configuration Changes.................................................................................................54
Change or Reset Management Application Behavior........................................................................54
Configure the Management Application Password Protection.........................................................55
Scheduling ................................................................................................................................56
Configure General Scheduling and Archiving ....................................................................................56
Configure Camera-specific Schedules .................................................................................................56
General Scheduling Properties ......................................................................................... 57
Scheduling All Cameras .........................................................................................................................57
Scheduling Options .................................................................................................................................57
Archiving...................................................................................................................................................58
Camera-specific Scheduling Properties ................................................................................................................ 58
Online Period............................................................................................................................................58
Speedup ....................................................................................................................................................59
E-Mail Notification ...................................................................................................................................60
Services...................................................................................................................................... 61
Overview of Services ..............................................................................................................................61
Start & Stop Services .............................................................................................................................61
System........................................................................................................................................ 62
Configure Default File Paths..................................................................................................................62
Find Version & Plug-in Information......................................................................................................62
System Restoration ............................................................................................................... 63
Restore System Configuration from a Restore Point........................................................................63
Export & Import System Configuration ..............................................................................................63
Import Changes to Configuration ........................................................................................................64
Daylight Savings Time ...........................................................................................................................68
Spring: Switch from Standard Time to DST........................................................................................................ 68
Fall: Switch from DST to Standard Time ............................................................................................................. 68
Stability Improvement......................................................................................................... 69
Adding the 3 GB Switch........................................................................................................................................... 69
Removing the 3 GB Switch ..................................................................................................................................... 70
Adding the 3 GB Switch........................................................................................................................................... 70
Removing the /3GB Switch ..................................................................................................................................... 70
Protect Recording Databases from Corruption ..................................................................................70
Users ........................................................................................................................................... 72
Overview of Users and Groups .............................................................................................................72
Configure User Access Wizard ..............................................................................................................72
Add Basic Users .......................................................................................................................................72
Add Windows Users ................................................................................................................................73
Add User Groups .....................................................................................................................................73
Configure User and Group Rights ........................................................................................................74
User Information .....................................................................................................................................74
Group Information ..................................................................................................................................74
General Access ........................................................................................................................................74
Camera Access ........................................................................................................................................74
Drivers ........................................................................................................................................ 76
Update Video Device Drivers ................................................................................................................76
Hardware Driver IDs...............................................................................................................................76
Ancillary Applications........................................................................................................... 80
Ocularis Client..........................................................................................................................................80
NVR Download Manager ........................................................................................................................80
Using the NVR Download Manager........................................................................................................................ 80
Initial Look.................................................................................................................................................................. 81
Installing New Features on Server ........................................................................................................................ 81
Making New Features Available through the Download Manager ................................................................... 81
Recording Server Manager................................................................................................. 83
Using the Recording Server Manager..................................................................................................83
Ocularis Viewer........................................................................................................................................85
Backup ........................................................................................................................................ 86
System Configuration Backup...............................................................................................................86

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To Back Up:................................................................................................................................................................ 86
To Restore Your Backed-up Configuration: ......................................................................................................... 86
Removal ..................................................................................................................................... 87
Entire System ..........................................................................................................................................87
Remove Entire Surveillance System ..................................................................................................................... 87
Individual Components ..........................................................................................................................87
Remove Installation Files for End-User Features ............................................................................................... 87
Remove the NVR Download Manager..................................................................................................87
Remove the Surveillance Server Software.........................................................................................87
Remove Video Device Drivers...............................................................................................................88
Contact Information.............................................................................................................. 89

RC-P User Manual System & Requirements
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System & Requirements
System Overview
The RC-P recording component is:
Compatible with a wide range of different IP video products from the leading manufacturers, so you choose the
hardware you want—in combinations too
Dependable; with robust and stable performance proven in operation on thousands of cameras worldwide
Flexible; with remote access features that let you use the surveillance system from any place and at any time
Scalable; with open architecture based on IP technology with ongoing development and regular updates, which
gives you long-term returns on your surveillance investment
Future-safe; the IP network approach is the foundation for tomorrow—available today
Several Targeted Components in One
RC-P consists of a number of components, each targeted at specific tasks and user types:
The Management Application:The main application used by surveillance system administrators for
configuring the RC-P surveillance system server, upon installation or whenever configuration adjustments are
required, for example when adding new cameras or users to the system.
The Recording Server service:A vital part of the surveillance system; video streams are only transferred to
RC-P while the Recording Server service is running. The Recording Server service is automatically installed
and runs in the background on the RC-P surveillance system server. You can manage the service through the
Management Application.
The Image Server service:Handles access to the surveillance system for users logging in with clients. The
Image Server service is automatically installed and runs in the background on the RC-P surveillance system
server. You can manage the service through the Management Application.
The Download Manager:Lets you manage which RC-P-related features your organization's users will be able
to access from a targeted welcome page on the surveillance system server.
The Ocularis Client:The Ocularis Client let users view live video, play back recorded video, activate output,
print and export evidence, etc. The feature-rich Ocularis Client should always be downloaded and installed on
remote users' computers.
Updates
On-Net Surveillance Systems, Inc. regularly releases service updates for our products, offering improved functionality and
support for new devices. If you are a surveillance system administrator, it is recommended that you check www.onssi.com
for updates at regular intervals in order to make sure you are using the most recent version of your surveillance software.

RC-P User Manual System & Requirements
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Minimum System Requirements
The following are minimum system requirements for running RC-P and associated applications. Visit the On-Net
Surveillance Systems, Inc. website, www.onssi.com, for the most recent system performance parameters.
RC-P Server
Operating System Microsoft® Windows® Server 2003 (32 bit or 64 bit*), Windows Server 2008 R1/R2
(32 bit or 64 bit*).
CPU Intel® Pentium® 4, 2.4 GHz or higher (CoreTM 2 recommended).
RAM Minimum 2 GB.
Network Ethernet (1 Gbit recommended).
Hard Disk Type E-IDE, PATA, SATA, SCSI, SAS (7200 RPM or faster).
Hard Disk Space Minimum 1 GB free hard disk space available, excluding space needed for
recordings.
Software Microsoft .NET 3.5 Framework Service Pack 1 or newer.
DirectX 9.0
*Running as a 32 bit service/application.
Ocularis Client
Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Windows Vista Business, Ultimate, Enterprise
(32 bit or 64 bit), Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate, Enterprise (32 bit or 64 bit).
CPU Intel Core2™ Duo, minimum 2.4 GHz or higher (more powerful CPU recommended
when running high number of cameras and multiple views and displays).
RAM Minimum 2 GB (higher RAM recommended when running high number of cameras
and multiple views and displays).
Graphics Adapter PCI-Express, minimum 256 MB RAM, Direct 3D supported.
Software Microsoft .NET 3.0 Framework Service,
DirectX 9.0 or newer.
Administrator Rights
When you install RC-P it is important that you have administrator rights on the computer that will run RC-P. If you only
have standard user rights, you will not be able to configure the surveillance system.
Consult your IT system administrator if in doubt about your rights.

RC-P User Manual System & Requirements
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Important Port Numbers
RC-P uses particular ports when communicating with other computers, cameras, etc.
What is a port? A port is a logical endpoint for data traffic. Networks use different ports for different types of data traffic.
Therefore it is sometimes, but not always, necessary to specify which port to use for particular data communication. Most
ports are used automatically based on the types of data included in the communication. On TCP/IP networks, port
numbers range from 0 to 65536, but only ports 0 to 1024 are reserved for particular purposes. For example, port 80 is
used for HTTP traffic when viewing web pages.
When using RC-P, make sure that the following ports are open for data traffic on your network:
Port 20 and 21 (inbound and outbound): Used for FTP traffic. FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a standard for
exchanging files across networks. FTP uses the TCP/IP standards for data transfer, and is often used for
uploading or downloading files to and from servers.
Port 25 (inbound and outbound): Used for SMTP traffic. SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is a standard
for sending e-mail messages between servers. This port should be open since, depending on configuration,
some cameras may send images to the surveillance system server via e-mail.
Port 80 (inbound and outbound): Used for HTTP traffic between the surveillance server and cameras,
Ocularis Client, and the default communication port for the surveillance system's Image Server service. HTTP
(HyperText Transfer Protocol) is a standard for exchanging files across networks; widely used for formatting
and transmission of data on the world wide web.
Port 554 (inbound and outbound): Used for RSTP traffic in connection with H.264 video streaming.
Port 1024 and above (outbound only): Used for HTTP traffic between cameras and the surveillance server.
Any other port numbers you may have selected to use, for example if you have changed the server access port
from its default port number (80) to another port number.
Consult the administrator of your organization's firewall if in doubt about how to open ports for traffic.
Virus Scanning Information
Virus scanning on the RC-P server, and computers to which data is archived, should if possible be avoided:
If you are using virus scanning software on the RC-P server, or on a computer to which data is archived, it is
likely that the virus scanning will use a considerable amount of system resources on scanning all the data which
is being archived. This may affect system performance negatively. Also, virus scanning software may
temporarily lock each file it scans, which may further impact system performance negatively.
Likewise, virus scanning software on the RC-P server is likely to use a considerable amount of system
resources on scanning data used by the Download Manager.
If allowed in your organization, you should therefore disable any virus scanning of affected areas (such as camera
databases, etc.) on the RC-P server as well as on any archiving destinations.
Time Server Recommended
All images are time-stamped by RC-P upon reception, but since cameras are separate units which may have separate
timing devices, power supplies, etc., camera time and RC-P system time may not correspond fully, and this may
occasionally lead to confusion.
If supported by your cameras, we recommend you auto-synchronize camera and system time through a time server for
consistent synchronization.
For information about configuring a time server searching www.microsoft.com for time server, time service, or similar.

RC-P User Manual Installation
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Installation
Installation
Do not install RC-P on a mounted drive (that is a drive attached to an empty folder on an NTFS (NT File System) volume,
with a label or name instead of a drive letter). If using mounted drives, critical system features may not work as intended;
you will, for example, not receive any warnings if the system runs out of disk space.
Prerequisites: Shut down any existing surveillance software. If upgrading, read Upgrade from a Previous Version first.
1. Insert the RC-P software DVD, wait for a short while, click the RC-P installation link, then select required
language.
Alternatively, if you are installing a version downloaded from the internet, run the downloaded installation file
from the location you have saved it to.
Depending on your security settings, you may receive one or more security warnings (such as Do you want to
run or save this file?, Do you want to run this software? or similar). When this is the case, click the Run button.
2. When the installation wizard starts, click Next to continue.
3. Read and accept the End User License Agreement, then click Next.
4. If an earlier RC-P version is present on the server, you will be asked to accept that it is automatically removed
during installation of the new version. The automatic removal will not delete any existing recordings or
configuration. If asked, we recommend answering Yes, since this will ensure that old versions will not interfere
with your new version.
5. Select Typical installation (advanced users may select Custom installation, and choose which features to install
and where to install them).
6. Select Install licensed version. Specify your user name, organization, and Software License Code (SLC). When
ready, click Next.
7. Click the Install button to begin the software installation. During the process, all the necessary components will
be installed one after the other.
8. Click Finish on the last step to complete the installation.
If a Status Information window appears on your screen during installation, simply click its OK button.
The window simply provides a summary of your installation.
When installation is complete, you can begin configuring RC-P through the Management Application: Double-click the
Management Application desktop shortcut or select Start > All Programs > OnSSI > Management Application. See more
under Get Your System Up & Running.
Upgrade
Upgrade from a Previous Version
Upgrading from one RC-P version to another RC-P version is an easy task, and you need not worry about spending hours
reconfiguring your software.
Prerequisites
Take note of your SLC (Software License Code). The SLC will change when the software version
number changes.
If your SLC has changed, so have your DLKs (Device License Keys). You get DLKs (Device License
Keys) upon request. Once approved, all your DLKs are sent to you as a single .dlk file attached to an
e-mail. When you have installed the new version of RC-P, you should import the new DLK file as
described later.
Back Up Your Current Configuration
When you install the new version of RC-P, it will inherit the configuration from your old version.

RC-P User Manual Installation
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However, we recommend that you make regular backups of your server configuration as a disaster recovery
measure. Upgrading your server is no exception. While it is rare to lose your configuration (cameras, schedules,
views, etc), it can happen under unfortunate circumstances. Luckily, it takes only a minute to back up your
existing configuration:
1. Create a folder called Backup on a network drive, or on removable media.
2. On the RC-P server, open My Computer, and navigate to C:\Program Files\OnSSI\RC-P.
3. Copy the following files and folders into your Backup folder:
All configuration (.ini) files
All scheduling (.sch) files
The file users.txt (only present in a few installations)
Remove the Current Version
In most cases, you do not need to manually remove the old version of RC-P before you install the new version.
The old version is removed when you install the new version.
Install the New Version
Run the installation file for the new software version. Select the installation options that best fit your needs.
Import New DLKs
1. Open the Management Application.
2. In the Management Application's File menu, select Import DLKs...
3. Browse to the location at which you have saved the received .dlk file, select the file, and click Open.
All the new DLKs are now imported into RC-P.
Upgrade Video Device Drivers
Video device drivers are small programs used for controlling/communicating with the hardware devices
connected to an RC-P system.
Video device drivers are installed automatically during the installation of your RC-P system. However, new
versions of the video device drivers—also called Device Packs—are released and made available for from time
to time.
We therefore recommend that you regularly visit the OnSSI website (look under Support > Downloads, Demos,
Manuals, Tutorials & White Papers) and download the latest Device Pack.
When updating video device drivers, there is no need to remove the old video device drivers first; simply install
the latest version on top of any old version you may have. For detailed information, see Update Video Device
Drivers.
Upgrade Ocularis Clients
Ocularis Client users should remove their old Ocularis Client versions and install the new one:
1. On the required computers, open a browser and connect to RC-P at the following address:
http://[IP address or hostname of server]:[port number; default is 80]
Example: http://123.123.123.123:80
2. From the welcome page that appears, download and install the latest Ocularis Client version.
The installation wizard will prompt you to uninstall any older versions it may find.

RC-P User Manual Getting Started
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Getting Started
Features
RC-P 1.0 contains many interesting and powerful features:
Single Management Application. A single Management Application has a modern look and an intuitive and
consistent grouping of features.
Wizard-driven configuration guides you through common RC-P tasks, such as adding of hardware devices
and cameras to the system. Detailed configuration, without wizards, is also possible.
Multi-instance configuration through templates or quickly editable summaries lets you configure multiple
cameras, events, users, etc. in one step.
No separate Image Server Administrator application; all management of users, rights, etc. takes place
directly in the Management Application.
Among the less noticeable—yet important—features you will find that:
Archiving takes place automatically. See Archiving Extends Recording Storage.
You can view live video in the Management Application. See View Video from Cameras in Management
Application.
Configuration is stored as XML. New upgrades easily maintain system configuration.
Configuration restore points let you quickly return to a previous configuration state. See Restore System
Configuration from Restore Point.
You can export and import configurations, for example if installing many similar RC-P systems. See Export
& Import System Configuration and Import Changes to Configuration.
Get Your System Up and Running
The following outlines the tasks typically involved in setting up a working RC-P system. Note that although information is
presented as a checklist, a completed checklist does not in itself guarantee that the system will match the exact needs of
your organization. To make the system match the needs of your organization, it is highly recommended that you monitor
and adjust the system once it is running.
For example, it is often a very good idea to spend time on testing and adjusting the motion detection sensitivity settings for
individual cameras under different physical conditions (day/night, windy/calm, etc.) once the system is running. The setup
of events and associated actions typically also depends entirely on your organization’s needs.
Verify Initial Configuration of Cameras and other Hardware Devices
Before doing anything on RC-P, make sure the hardware devices (cameras, video encoders, etc.) you are going
to use are correctly installed and configured with IP addresses, passwords, etc. as specified by the
manufacturers. Such initial configuration is required in order to be able to connect the devices to the network
and RC-P.
Register Your RC-P Software and Get DLKs
You must register your software and get a Device License Key (DLK) for every device (cameras, etc.) you are
going to use on your RC-P system. Upon request, all your DLKs are sent to you as a single .dlk file attached to
an e-mail.
Go to www.onssi.com and click the Device Registration link in the Support section.
Fill out the Software Registration and Device License Keys form.
Click Send.
When processed by OnSSI, you will receive an email with an attachment. Detach this .dlk file and
prepare to import it into RC-P.
Install the RC-P Recording Component
See Install Surveillance Server Software. If upgrading an existing version of RC-P, see Upgrade from a
Previous Version.

RC-P User Manual Getting Started
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Open the Management Application
See Access the Management Application.
Import Your DLKs
Now it is time to import the Device License Keys into RC-P; see Import DLKs (Device License Keys).
Add Hardware Devices in RC-P can quickly scan your network for relevant hardware devices (cameras, video
encoders, etc.), and add them to your system. See Add Hardware Devices.
Configure Cameras in RC-P
You can specify a wide variety of settings for each camera connected to your RC-P system. Settings include
video format, resolution, motion detection sensitivity, where to store and archive recordings, any PTZ
(Pan/Tilt/Zoom) preset positions, association with microphones, etc. See Configure Video & Recording Settings.
What does “... archive recordings” mean? Archiving—an integrated and automated feature—helps you
store recordings beyond the capabilities of RC-P's standard database. Archiving thus maximizes storage
capacity and minimizes risk. See Archiving Extends Recording Storage.
Configure Scheduling
When do you want to archive? Do you want some cameras to transfer video to RC-P at all times, and other
cameras to transfer video only within specific periods of time, or when specific events occur? With the
scheduling feature, you can specify this as well as when you want to receive notifications from the system. See
Configure General Scheduling & Archiving and Configure Camera-specific Schedules.
Configure Users
Now specify at least one user account for access your RC-P system. This user account should have full access
rights to all devices and will be used to import the RC-P into Ocularis. See Quickly Add Users with Access to All
Cameras, Add Individual Users, Add User Groups and Configure User & Group Rights.
Install Ocularis Base
Proceed with the installation of the remaining Ocularis components and license Ocularis Base (if not already
done). See the Ocularis Installation and Licensing Guide available in the installation package/DVD or from
www.onssi.com.
Configure Ocularis Base
Launch the Ocularis Administrator application to configure Oculars Base and import the RC-P Recording
Component. See the Ocularis Administrator's User Manual for more details.
Configure Ocularis Client
Install Ocularis Client (if you haven’t already done so) and configure local settings. See the Ocularis Client User
Manual for more details..
The above list represents the configuration steps that most administrators are likely to cover. Additional configuration is of
course likely due, for instance, to continued tweaking of system settings for cameras and storage.
Note that the behavior of the Management Application can be customized. Descriptions here are, however, always based
on the Management Application's default behavior.
Access the Management Application
You access the Management Application by double-clicking the Management Application desktop shortcut.
Alternatively, use Windows' Start menu: Start > All Programs > OnSSI > Management Application.
Depending on your configuration, access to the Management Application may be password-protected.
Use the Built-in Help System
To use RC-P's built-in help system, simply click the Help button in the Management Application's toolbar. Alternatively,
press the F1 key on your keyboard while using RC-P.

RC-P User Manual Getting Started
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The help system opens in a separate window, allowing you to easily switch between help and RC-P. The help system is
context-sensitive. This means that when you press F1 for help while working in a particular RC-P dialog, the help system
automatically displays help matching that dialog.
Navigating the Built-in Help System
To navigate between the help system's contents, simply use the help window's tabs: Contents, Search, Favorites and
Glossary, or use the links inside the help topics.
Contents Tab:Navigate the help system based on a tree structure. Many users will be familiar with this type of
navigation from, for example, Windows Explorer.
Search Tab:Search for help topics containing particular terms of interest. For example, you can search for the
term zoom and every help topic containing the term zoom will be listed in the search results. Double-clicking a
help topic title in the search results list will open the required topic.
Favorites Tab:Build a list of your favorite help topics. Whenever you find a help topic of particular interest to
you, simply add the topic to your favorites list. You can then access the topic with a single click—also if you
close the help window and return to it later.
Help topics contain various types of links, notably so-called expanding drop-down links. Clicking such a link will display
detailed information immediately below the link itself; the content on the topic simply expands. Expanding drop-down links
thus help save space.
Printing Help Topics
To print a help topic, navigate to the required topic and click the help window's Print button. A dialog box may ask you
whether you wish to print the selected topic only or all topics under the selected heading; when this is the case, select
Print the selected topic and click OK.

RC-P User Manual Wizards
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Wizards
Overview of Wizards
Wizards guide you through common tasks in RC-P:
The Add Hardware Devices wizard helps you add cameras and other hardware devices, such as video
encoders, to your RC-P system. If microphones are attached to a hardware device, they are automatically
added as well.
The Configure Video and Recording wizard helps you quickly configure your cameras' video and recording
properties.
The Adjust Motion Detection wizard helps you quickly configure your cameras' motion detection properties.
The Configure User Access Wizard helps you quickly configure clients' access to the RC-P server.

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Configuration & Properties
Archiving Extends Recording Storage
Archiving is an integrated and automated feature that helps you store recordings beyond the capabilities of RC-P's
standard database. Archiving maximizes storage capacity and minimizes risk; you can keep recordings for as long as
required, limited only by the available hardware storage capacity.
In the following topics, archiving is explained in detail. If you want to configure archiving immediately, see Configure
Archiving Locations and Configure Archiving Schedules.
Benefits of Archiving
With archiving, recordings are moved from their standard location to another location, the archiving location.
With archiving, the amount of recordings you are able to store is limited only by the available hardware storage
capacity:
By default, recordings are stored in RC-P's database for each camera. The database for each camera is
capable of containing a maximum of 600000 records or 40 GB.
However, the maximum size of a database is not in itself very important: If a database for a camera becomes
full, RC-P automatically begins archiving its content, freeing up space in the database. Having sufficient
archiving space is more important (see Storage Capacity Required for Archiving in the following).
In addition to automatic archiving when a database becomes full, you can schedule archiving to take place at
particular times up to 24 times per day. This way, you can proactively archive recordings, so databases will
never become full.
By using archiving, you will also be able to back up archived records on backup media of your choice, using
your preferred backup software.
How Archiving Works
For each camera, the contents of the camera database will be moved to a default archiving folder, called
Archives. This will happen automatically if a database becomes full, and one or more times every day,
depending on your archiving settings.
The default archiving folder is located on the RC-P server, by default in C:\VideoData.
In the archiving folder, separate subfolders for storing archives for each camera are automatically created.
These subfolders are named after the MAC address of the hardware device to which the camera is connected.
Since you can keep archives spanning many days of recordings, and since archiving may take place several
times per day, further subfolders, named after the archiving date and time, are also automatically created.
The subfolders will be named according to the following structure:
...\Archives\CameraMACAddress_VideoEncoderChannel\DateAndTime
Example: With the default archiving folder located under C:\VideoData, video from an archiving taking place at
23.15 on 31st December 2010 for a camera attached to channel 2 on a video encoder hardware device with the
MAC address 00408c51e181 would be stored at the following destination:
C:\VideoData\Archives\00408c51e181_2\2010-12-31-23-15
If the hardware device to which the camera is attached is not a video encoder device with several channels, the
video encoder channel indication in the sub-directory named after the hardware device's MAC address will
always be _1 (example: 00408c51e181_1).
Storing Archives at Other Locations than the Default Archiving Directory
You may also store archives in other directories than the default archiving directory. However, you cannot
archive to external drives, only to a local drive on the computer running RC-P.

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Dynamic Path Selection for Archives
With dynamic archiving paths, you specify a number of different archiving paths, usually across several drives.
Using dynamic paths is highly recommended, and is the default setting when you configure cameras through
the Configure Video & Recording Wizard.
If the path containing the camera's database is on one of the drives you have selected for dynamic archiving,
RC-P will always try to archive to that drive first. If not, RC-P automatically archives to the archiving drive with
the most available space at any time, provided there is not a camera database using that drive.
Which drive that is used for archiving may change during the archiving process, and archiving may therefore
happen to several archiving drives during the same process. This fact will have no impact on how users find
and view archived recordings.
Dynamic archiving paths are general for all your cameras; you cannot configure dynamic archiving paths for
individual cameras.
When deciding which drives to use for dynamic archiving, consider the pros and cons in the following examples
(in which we assume that the default archiving path is on drive C:—drive letters are examples only, different
drive letters may of course be used in your organization):
Camera records to drive C: and archives to drive C:
If the path containing the camera's database is on one of the drives you have selected for dynamic
archiving, RC-P will always try to archive to that drive first. Archiving will take place quickly, but may
also fairly quickly fill up the drive with data.
Camera records to drive C: and archives to drive D:
Obvious benefit is that recordings and archives are on separate drives. Archiving takes place less
quickly. RC-P will first temporarily store the archive in the local default archiving directory on C:, then
immediately move the archive to the archiving location on D:. Therefore, sufficient space to
accommodate the temporary archive is required on C:.
Camera 1 records to drive C: and archives to drive D:
while
Camera 2 records to drive D: and archives to drive C:
Avoid. One camera's archiving may take up space required for another camera's recordings. In the
above example, Camera 1's archiving to D: may result in no recording space for camera 2 on D:.
The rule of thumb is: “Do not cross recording and archiving drives.”
Archiving Audio
If an audio source (microphone is enabled on a hardware device, audio recordings will be archived together
with video recordings from the camera attached to the hardware device. If the hardware device is a video
encoder with several channels, audio will be archived with the camera on channel 1.
When an audio source is enabled, audio is recorded to the associated camera’s database. This will affect the
database’s capacity for storing video. You may therefore want to use scheduled archiving more frequently if
recording audio and video than if only recording video.
Storage Capacity Required for Archiving
The storage capacity required for archiving depends entirely on the amount of recordings you plan to keep, and
on how long you want to keep them (also known as retention time).
Some organizations want to keep archived recordings from a large number of cameras for several months or
years. Other organizations may only want to archive recordings from one or two cameras, and they may want to
keep their archives for much shorter periods of time.
You should always first consider the storage capacity of the local drive containing the default archiving directory
to which archived recordings are always moved, even though they may immediately after be moved to an
archiving location on another drive: As a rule of thumb, the capacity of the local drive should be at least twice
the size required for storing the databases of all cameras.
You cannot archive to external drives, only to local drives on the RC-P server.
When archiving, RC-P automatically checks that space required for the data to be archived plus 1 GB of free
disk space per camera is available at the archiving location. If not, the archive location's oldest data from the
camera in question will be deleted until there is sufficient free space for the new data to be archived.
In short: When estimating storage capacity required for archiving, consider your organization's needs, then plan
for worst case rather than best case scenarios.

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Automatic Response if Running Out of Disk Space
With archiving, RC-P can automatically respond to the threat of running out of disk space. Two scenarios can
occur, depending on whether the camera database drive is different from, or identical to, the archiving drive:
Different Drives: Automatic Archiving if Database Drive Runs Out of Disk Space
In the case where the RC-P server is running out of disk space, and
othe archiving drive is different from the camera database drive, and
oarchiving has not taken place within the last hour,
archiving will automatically begin in an attempt to free up disk space. This will happen regardless of any
archiving schedules.
The server is considered to be running out of disk space if:
othere is less than 10% disk space left, and the available disk space goes below 30 GB plus 1.5 GB
per camera
- or -
othe available disk space goes below 150 MB plus 20 MB per camera (example: with ten cameras, the
server would be running out of disk space if the remaining available disk space went below 350 MB
(150 MB plus 20 MB for each of the ten cameras))
The difference ensures that very large disks will not necessarily be considered to be running out of disk space
just because they have less than 10% disk space left.
On the archiving drive, RC-P automatically checks that the space required for data from a camera to be
archived plus 1 GB of free disk space per camera is available. If not, the archive drive's oldest data from the
camera in question will be deleted until there is sufficient free space for the new data to be archived.
IMPORTANT: You will lose the archive data being deleted.
Same Drive: Automatic Moving or Deletion of Archives if Running Out of Disk Space
In the case where the RC-P server is running out of disk space, and the archiving drive is identical to the
camera database drive, RC-P will automatically do the following in an attempt to free up disk space:
1. First, RC-P will attempt to delete archives. This will happen if:
othere is less than 10% disk space left, and the available disk space goes below 30 GB plus
1.5 GB per camera
- or -
othe available disk space goes below 150 MB plus 20 MB per camera (example: with ten
cameras, the server would be running out of disk space if the remaining available disk
space went below 350 MB (150 MB plus 20 MB for each of the ten cameras))
The difference ensures that very large disks will not necessarily be considered to be running out of
disk space just because they have less than 10% disk space left.
IMPORTANT: You will lose data from the archives being deleted.
2. Ultimately, if there are no archives to delete, RC-P will attempt to resize camera databases. This will
happen if:
othere is less than 5% disk space left, and the available disk space goes below 20 GB plus 1
GB per camera
- or -
othe available disk space goes below 75 MB plus 10 MB per camera (example: with ten
cameras, the server would be running out of disk space if the remaining available disk
space went below 175 MB (75 MB plus 10 MB for each of the ten cameras))
The difference ensures that very large disks will not necessarily be considered to be running out of
disk space just because they have less than 5% disk space left.
IMPORTANT: You will lose the data deleted as part of the database resizing process.
When the recording server is restarted upon such database resizing, the original database sizes will
be used. You should therefore make sure the drive size problem is solved, or adjust camera
database sizes to reflect the altered drive size.

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Tip: Should the database resizing procedure take place, you will be informed in log files, and (if set
up) through an e-mail notification.
Backing Up Archives
Many organizations want to back up recordings from cameras, using tape drives or similar. Creating such
backups based on the content of camera databases is not recommended; it may cause sharing violations or
other malfunctions.
Instead, create such backups based on the content of archives. If you have not specified separate archiving
locations for separate cameras, you could simply back up the default local archiving directory, Archives.
When scheduling a backup, make sure the backup job does not overlap with any scheduled archiving times.
Viewing Archived Recordings
Archived recordings may be viewed with the Ocularis Client. You are able to use all of Ocularis Client's
advanced features (video browsing, searching, export, etc.) for archived recordings as well.
Archives Stored Locally
For archived recordings stored locally you simply use the Ocularis Client's playback features, for example the
Kinetic Timeline browser, for finding and viewing the required recordings; just like you would with recordings
stored in a camera's regular database.
Exported Archives
For exported archives, for example archives stored on a CD, you may also use the Ocularis Client.
Virus Scanning and Archiving
If allowed in your organization, disable any virus scanning of camera databases and archiving locations. For
more information see Virus Scanning Information.
New Database if Archiving Fails
Under extremely rare circumstances archiving may fail. For example, a database may be full and ready for
archiving, but the operating system may lock content in the database if a content file is open. This would
prevent archiving. In practice, this situation would only occur if somebody attempted to view a database file
directly from the database folder at the time of the archiving (viewing the file directly would actually not work
since database content cannot be viewed as individual files, only through the Ocularis Client).
In such situations, the database will be put aside for archiving at a later point in time. While the database is put
aside, a special temporary database is created for storage of new recordings. This way, no new recordings will
be lost even though the original database is full (provided enough disk space is available for storing the special
temporary database).
RC-P will wait for the next archiving occasion (either scheduled or because the special temporary database also
becomes full). It will then archive the content of the special temporary database, and thus free up space in it.
RC-P will then continue to store new recordings in the special temporary database. This will apply until the
Recording Server service is restarted. Once the service has been restarted, the content of the original database
will be archived, and new recordings will again be stored in the original database. The special temporary
database will also be archived, and will then cease to exist.
Can I view recordings from the special temporary database? Normally, the content of databases can be
viewed with the Ocularis Client regardless whether the databases have been archived or not. However, the
content of the special temporary database cannot be viewed through a client until the content has been
archived. On the surveillance server itself, you will be able to view the content of the special temporary
database through the Ocularis Client, even if the special temporary database has not been archived yet. Since
the special temporary database will be used for storing new recordings until the Recording Server service is
restarted—even though the original database may no longer be locked—you may in these extremely rare
situations experience that new recordings are not viewable through clients. In that case, restarting the
Recording Server service will help, since it will force the original database to again be used for storing new
recordings.

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Configure Archiving Locations
Before configuring archiving locations, consider whether you want to use static or dynamic archiving paths:
Static archiving paths mean that for a particular camera, archiving will take place to a particular location, and to
that location only. Static archiving paths are in principle individual for each camera, but they do not have to be
unique: several cameras can easily use the same path if required.
You can configure static archiving paths for individual cameras, or as part of the general Recording & Archiving
Paths properties.
oIndividual cameras: In the Management Application's navigation pane, expand Advanced
Configuration, expand Cameras and Storage Information, double-click the required camera, select
Recording & Archiving Paths, and specify required properties.
oGeneral Recording & Archiving Paths: In the Management Application's navigation pane, expand
Advanced Configuration, double-click Cameras and Storage Information, and specify required
properties.
Dynamic archiving paths allow greater flexibility, and are therefore highly recommended. With dynamic
archiving paths, you specify a number of different archiving paths, usually across several drives.
If the path containing the camera database to be archived is on one of the drives you have selected for dynamic
archiving, RC-P will always try to archive to that drive first. If not, RC-P automatically archives to the archiving
drive with the most available space at any time, provided there is not a camera database using that drive. This
fact will have no impact on how users find and view archived recordings.
Dynamic archiving paths are general for all your cameras; you cannot configure dynamic archiving paths for
individual cameras.
To configure archiving paths: In the Management Application's navigation pane, expand Advanced
Configuration, double-click Cameras and Storage Information, select Dynamic Path Selection - Archives, and
specify required properties.
If configuring your cameras through the Configure Video & Recording Wizard, the wizard also lets you configure archiving
paths.
Configure Archiving Schedules
RC-P automatically archives recordings if a camera's database becomes full (in earlier versions, this was an option
configured individually for each camera).
You are furthermore able to schedule archiving at particular points in time up to 24 times per day, with minimum one hour
between each one. This way, you can proactively archive recordings, so databases will never become full. As a rule of
thumb, the more you expect to record, the more often you should archive.
There are two ways in which to configure archiving schedules:
While configuring your cameras through the Configure Video & Recording Wizard, in which case you configure
your archiving schedule on the wizard's Drive selection page.
As part of the general Scheduling & Archiving Paths properties: In the Management Application's navigation
pane, expand Advanced Configuration, right-click Scheduling and Archiving, select Properties, select Archiving
in the dialog, and specify required properties.