ExuS Server Class NAS for Mobotix Cameras

Storage Guide for Mobotix Cameras

Situation
» The idea behind choosing MOBOTIX cameras is to get the best video surveillance system
» Consequently the cameras should operate in megapixel configuration for best security results
» The best system is only as good as the weakest component
» Megapixel configuration will transfer large amounts of data that the NAS has to digest non-stop
» If the NAS can not handle this „data storms“ the camera configuration has to be downsized.
» As a result there is less security as expected when using MOBOTIX cameras
» Choosing the wrong NAS can cause malfunctions of storage or cameras, recording errors and
data loss
» NAS ranges from EURO 50 up to over EURO 20.000 (see i.e. Amazon)
» What is the right NAS for megapixel cameras ?

Analysis
» HiRes video surveillance IP cameras produce large video files
» Mostly there are more than one camera in the installation transferring large video file to the storage
» When storage is full the camera overwrites old files, that can cause fragmentation
» In opposition with standard NAS tasks, cameras use NAS mainly for writing. Not every NAS is optimized for this
» Quite often cameras and NAS are installed on remote places and it is not easy to monitor them
frequently
» The right storage for MOBOTIX is a Video Storage NAS

Requirements on a Video Storage NAS
» System should operate reliable over years, sometimes in remote places
» Best is server hardware that is designed to operate non-stop for years
» System should have indication of how many cameras are supported
» HiRes camears produce large video files
» System should be powerful enough to handle large video files from many cameras simultaneously
» Best performance offer server hardware
» It is recommended to use a 64 bit version of XFS file system since it is optimized for handling large video files
» Software should be optimized for "write" modus
» Software should avoid producing fragmentation when overwriting old files with new files
» XFS-journaling avoids fragmentation of disks
» System should have minimum 2 Ethernet ports for load balancing and port redundancy
» System should have powerful RAID
» This offers hardware RAID or MD-RAID
» System should power up automatically after power loss
» Especially important on remote places
» System should include Mobotix remote preview plugin to enable effective and fast event browsing and analysis even over weaker internet connection