Optica Video Storage Server User manual

Video Storage Server
User’s Manual
Version 3.4

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Table of Contents
1. Overview..........................................................................................................................2
1.1 System Requirement.............................................................................................3
2. Software Installation.......................................................................................................4
3. Software Upgrade...........................................................................................................6
3.1 Automatic Software Upgrade.................................................................................6
3.2 Manual Software Upgrade.....................................................................................7
4. Start Up VSS....................................................................................................................8
4.1 Starting Up.............................................................................................................8
4.2 Login......................................................................................................................8
5. VSS Main Window ..........................................................................................................9
5.1 VSS Icon in the System Tray...............................................................................11
6. Configure VSS ..............................................................................................................12
6.1 Sites Edit..............................................................................................................13
6.1.1 Groups Settings..........................................................................................13
6.1.2 Site Settings...............................................................................................16
6.2 Login Setting........................................................................................................22
6.3 Users Edit............................................................................................................24
6.4 Client Setting .......................................................................................................26
6.5 Event....................................................................................................................27
6.6 File Path...............................................................................................................28
6.7 DynDNS...............................................................................................................30
6.8 Device Wizard......................................................................................................31
6.9 Export or Import Settings.....................................................................................32
7. Operation of VSS..........................................................................................................33
7.1 Instant Record Function ......................................................................................33
7.2 Configuration Menu of IP Cameras.....................................................................34
7.3 Schedule Record Function..................................................................................39
7.4 Lock Function ......................................................................................................44
Appendix A: Troubleshooting...........................................................................................45

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1. Overview
Video Storage Server (VSS) is a network recording software capable of
simultaneously storing up to 16 network video cameras to a PC’s local
storage via LAN/WAN network connection. VSS is specially designed to
reduce front end video camera workloads as well as to help deploy large
scale surveillance scenarios. Combining VSS with OpticaCMS, remote
monitoring, controlling, storage and management for multiple surveillance
locations is easily manageable.
Features:
zConnect Multiple Sites – Managed up to 16 channels
zVideo Record – Instant / scheduled / motion recording
zDual Streaming – Main Stream for recording, Sub Stream for
OpticaCMS/remote preview
zSupport ONVIF configuration
zMultiple Language Support

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1.1 System Requirement
The following chart shows recommended computer system:
Operating Systems Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7
CPU Minimum:
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo
2.4 GHz
Recommended:
Intel® Core™ i5-2500K
6MB Cache 3.3 GHz
RAM Memory Minimum: 1GB Recommended: 4GB
HDD Minimum: 80GB Recommended: 1TB
Ethernet Minimum:
100 BaseT Recommended: Gigabit LAN
Tested Setup CPU: Intel® Core™ i5-2500K (6MB Cache, 3.3 GHz);
RAM: DDR3 4GB; OS: Windows 7 Professional;
Ethernet: Gigabit LAN; Mainboard Chip: Intel H6X
NOTE: If the operating system is Windows Vista or Windows 7, some
functions (such as Record, Auto Reboot, etc) will not work properly
due to User Account Control (UAC). Follow steps below to solve this
problem.
Step 1. If a previous version of VSS is installed, export setting files of VSS
before installing the new version VSS.
Step 2. Due to UAC, user account in Windows Vista or Windows 7 cannot
properly run applications that will write in “C:\Program Files\” folder.
Therefore, VSS will be installed in “C:\” folder instead.
Step 3. Once the new version VSS is installed, import the setting files back to
VSS.

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2. Software Installation
Follow the steps below to install VSS to the local computer.
Step 1. There are 2 ways to start the installation.
Option 1.Download the compressed file and
extract it. Click on the VSSSetup.exe
file to start the installation.
Option 2.If VSS will be installed via a CD, the installation will startup
automatically when the CD is inserted into the CD-Rom.
The <VSS Setup Menu> window will be displayed. Choose
<INSTALL VSS> to start installing VSS. Choose <VSS
USER’S MANUAL> to open the user’s manual. Choose
<EXIT> to exit the <VSS Setup Menu>.
NOTE:
1.If an older version of the VSS had been installed in the local
computer, a message box will be shown during the
installation. Click <OK> to uninstall the previous version.
2.After clicking <OK>, an un-installation confirmation dialog
will be displayed. Click <Uninstall> to uninstall the older
version and continue with the next step.
Step 2. Select the components that are going to be installed. It is strongly
recommended to select the <Start Menu Shortcuts> to create
shortcuts in the Start Menu and on the Desktop. Otherwise when the
program is to be opened, it will have to be found under the path:
“\VSS\EXE\VSS.exe”. Click <Next> to go to next step.

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The components of the VSS Installation Setup are:
a. Microsoft VC 2008 SP1 Redistributable Package: This is an
upgrade package required for correctly running VSS.
b. Video Storage Server 3.4.0 (Required): The VSS main program
must be installed.
c. Start Menu Shortcuts: Check the box to create shortcuts in the
Start Menu and on the Desktop.
d. Default Setting (Old setting will be deleted!): Check the box to load
default setting, or uncheck it to load the old setting of previous
installed VSS.
Step 3. The VSS main program will be the first program to be installed.
Choose a folder to install the VSS or it will be installed to a default
destination folder “\VSS\”. Click <Install> to start the Installation; or
click <Back> to go back to the previous step.
Step 4. When the Software Installation is completed, click <Close> to exit.

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3. Software Upgrade
VSS software can be upgraded automatically or manually. Refer to the
following sections for details.
3.1 Automatic Software Upgrade
To enable automatic software upgrade, right
click on VSS icon in the system tray and
check “Auto Upgrade”.
If automatic software upgrade is enabled, VSS will connect to the FTP Server
and check for upgrade once a month. If no upgrade is available, VSS will
continue normal process. If upgrade is detected, please follow the steps
below to proceed.
Step 1. A message box will pop up to inform that there is upgrade available.
Click <OK> to download the upgrade software and continue to the
next step. Otherwise, click <Cancel> to abort and continue to normal
VSS process.
Step 2. Choose a destination folder to save the file. Then a window will pop
up and show the downloading status. Click <Abort> to terminate the
download and VSS will be started as usual.
When the download is completed, the installation of the new version of VSS
can be started following the same procedures described in section Software
Installation.
NOTE: If the upgrade file is not completely downloaded or is broken,
an error message will be displayed.
NOTE: A release note will also be downloaded together with the setup
file. A message window will pop up to show the file path where the
release note is saved.

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3.2 Manual Software Upgrade
To manually upgrade software, click on the <Setting> button and click on
<Software Upgrade> at the bottom. Then follow the steps in the previous
section to complete the download and installation.

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4. Start Up VSS
There are 3 ways to start VSS. Note that method Aand B are only available if
the “Start Menu Shortcuts” component is installed. Please see section
Software Installation for more information.
Method A. Click Start menu and select Programs. Then find “VSS” from the
listed programs.
Method B. Double click on the shortcut icon on the desktop.
Method C. Go to “\VSS\EXE\” and double click on VSS icon.
4.1 Starting Up
If VSS is started for the first time, select a desired language for the interface.
The available languages are listed in the scroll box. Click <OK> to confirm the
selection.
NOTE: If the system memory or CPU frequency is less than the
requirement, the error message will be displayed.
4.2 Login
The default username & password are: “admin” and “1234”. Enter the default
username and password, then check <Save user name and password> to
save time from entering username and password every time VSS starts. Click
<OK> to login.
The username and password accounts can be added or removed under the
<Users Edit> tab in <Setting> configuration window. Refer to the Users Edit
section for more information.
NOTE: If wrong username or password is entered for 3 times, an error
message will be displayed, and VSS will be closed automatically after
<OK> is clicked. Restart VSS to enter the correct username and
password.

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5. VSS Main Window
The main window of VSS is as the below.
1 Schedule Record
2 Connect All Sites
3 Setting
4 Lock
5 OpticaCMS Client Login Info
6 Site Tree
7 System Log Data
8 HDD Info

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The usage and function of each button will be briefly described as follows.
Schedule Record
Click on the <Schedule Record> button to schedule the recording time frame
for the connected sites.
Connect All Sites
Click on the <Connect All> button to re-establish connection to all sites in the
site tree.
Setting
Click on the <Setting> button to setup the configuration. Refer to section
Configure VSS for detailed information.
Lock
Click on the <Lock> button to lock VSS to protect the works on VSS when
users need to be away from the computer for a while. This function is the
same as the computer’s screensaver. See section Lock Function for more
detailed information.
OpticaCMS Client Login Info
A list of login OpticaCMS Clients will be shown in this area. The information
includes the login users’ account names, and IP addresses. The listed
OpticaCMS Clients will not exceed maximum number of connection setup in
<Client Setting>. Refer to section Client Setting for more details.
NOTE: If OpticaCMS Clients have been idled for more than 4 minutes,
VSS will automatically kick off the connections.
Site Tree
The site tree displays the site(s) of current start group.
Right click on the “site” and select <ReConnect> to
re-establish connection to the site. The <DisConnect>
option allows users to only disconnect a certain site.
The <Record> option gives users freedom to instantly
record videos of the selected site. Details of this
function will be explained later in section Instant
Record Function. The <Configuration> option allows
to edit camera settings. Refer to section Configuration
Menu of the IP Cameras for more details.

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By right clicking on the group icon, the options shown
as on the right allows users to expand/hide the site
tree, or to auto detect devices in the same LAN.
The Auto Detect Device function will search for supported IP cameras in the
LAN and add them as new sites automatically. The streaming setting will be
set as “Auto-Streaming Configuration”. In addition, VSS will record normal
and event videos for these sites. If users wish to manually change streaming
or schedule record setting, please refer to later sections for more details.
NOTE: The IP cameras have to be in their default setting so that VSS
can access and retrieve their information.
System Log Data
The operational and system logs of VSS and OpticaCMS Clients will be listed
in this area.
HDD Info
Move the cursor to the display bar of a HDD, then a hint message with a brief
information of the selected HDD will be shown.
5.1 VSS Icon in the System Tray
When VSS has been started up, VSS icon
will always be shown in the system tray.
Right click on VSS icon and the menu items
will be shown as on the right.
If <Minimize To Tray> is checked, VSS window will shrink to VSS icon in the
system tray when it is minimized. The taskbar button will also disappear.
To restore VSS window, double click on VSS icon and the taskbar button will
also appear at the same time. Alternatively, right click on VSS icon and select
<Open Video Storage Server > and VSS window will be restored.
Select <Help> will pop up the PDF file of the User’s Manual.

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6. Configure VSS
Click on the <Setting> button and a window as below figure will be displayed.
The configuration items of VSS and their brief description are listed as below:
Sites Edit Setup and management of connection groups and sites.
Login Setting Setup login options of VSS.
Users Edit Setup and management of login accounts.
Client Setting Setup and management of OpticaCMS Clients.
Event Setup event recording duration.
File Path Setup directory of recorded videos.
DynDNS Setup a static domain name for dynamic IP
DeviceWizard Setup and management of auto device configuration
The following subsections will guide users to setup VSS step by step.

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6.1 Sites Edit
VSS supports up to 10 groups, with at most 16 IP devices can be added to
each group. If more than 16 IP devises are added, error message will be displayed.
This section will guide users to setup and manage connection groups and
sites.
NOTE: The supported IPdevices are NH and NV series IPcameras.
6.1.1 Groups Settings
Add Groups
Right click on <Groups List>, and select <Add a group> to add a group. The
bottom two menu items allow users to expand or hide all groups.

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Rename / Remove Groups
Right click on a preferred group and select <Rename> to change name of the
group. Also, right click and select <Remove> can remove the selected group.
Set Start Group
“Start Group” is the group that will be connected after starting up VSS. Right
click on a preferred group and select <Set as start group> from the pull-down
menu. The start group icon will be different, as shown below.

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Expand / Hide Groups
To expand or hide a group, right click on the group and select <Expand> or
<Hide>.

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6.1.2 Site Settings
This section is the instruction of the management of sites, including addition,
removal and configuration of sites.
Add Sites
Right click on a group, and select <Add a site> to add a new site to the group.
Add Multiple Sites
Right click on a group, and select <Add sites…> to add multiple sites at once.

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Then a device search window will be displayed as below. Press and hold Ctrl
key to select more than one site. After sites are selected, click <Add> to add
the selected sites. Please refer to next page for later steps to complete site
setup.
NOTE: The sites that are already added in this group will be shown in
Red in the device search window.
Remove / Rename Sites
Right click and select <Remove> / <Rename> to remove / rename the site.

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Input IP Address and Port – Manually or Device Search
Users can manually input IP address and port of a site, or via Device Search.
VSS can search for IP address of supported IP cameras in the LAN network.
The ports used for device search are 6666 and 6667. Please make sure that
these two ports are not in-use nor blocked by firewall or virus scan software.
Follow steps below to search for IP camera(s):
Step 1. Click the <Device Search> button to open up the Search window.
Step 2. The list will show supported IP camera(s) found in the LAN network.
Select from the list and Double Click on any device to add it to the
new site. Note that if the sites are already added in this group, they
will be shown in Red.

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NOTE: The Device Search function can only be used to search for
devices within the same LAN. For example, if the PC’s IP address is
192.168.1.5, and a connected IP camera has an IP address of
192.168.1.7, VSS will be able to find the IP camera. However, if there
is another IP camera connected to another LAN network such as
192.168.3.6, VSS (whose IP is 192.168.1.5) will not be able to find the
IP camera in another LAN network.
DDNS Address
The IP address of an IP camera can also be entered with a DDNS address.
Check the box <(D)DNS> as marked below, and type in the DDNS address.
An example of the DDNS address looks like: *******.ddns.iview-ddns.com
Input Username and Password
After the IP camera’s IP address and port are filled-in, then enter the IP
camera’s username and password.